The Troubled Children
by Sammie050301
Summary: COMPLETE: Finding out she couldn't bear children, Haley takes in a foster child without Hotch's permission. She later explains that it's only going to be one child, but then it turns to two, then three, and then four. Every child has a story. Hotch and Haley learn how to be foster parents. *WARNINGS: drug abuse, child abuse, violence, cancer, mental illness*
1. Prologue

{Inspired by two amazing stories: Dextolan's _From One Leaky Roof to Another_ and ficdirectory's **_What Makes a Family Series._**

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Kid Fic: Finding out she couldn't bear children, Haley takes in a foster child without Hotch's permission. She later explains that it's only going to be one child, to two, then three, and then four. Every child has a story, and Hotch and Haley learn how to be foster parents. [WARNINGS: drug abuse, child abuse, violence, cancer, mental illness]

This is a major AU, where all the characters ages are drastically changed in order to fit the story.

Character Ages from Oldest to Youngest:

Emily Prentiss: Age 13

Derek Morgan: Age 10

JJ: Age 7.

Spencer Reid: Age 4.

 **UPDATE 8/26/18- Penelope Garcia will be added into the sequel of TTC, called TCAL (These Children Are Loved)**

Also, for the sake of how the story plays out, Aaron Hotchner and other CM characters are not FBI Agents.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds. As pointed out by a reviewer, this is partially inspired by the TV show The Fosters, which I don't own either.**

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Her stomach was flat.

Haley Hotchner sighed at her reflection in despair, tears streaming down her face. This was her worst nightmare. She actually wished she was fat, but not in the way most women would dread. She and Aaron had been trying for over two years now, and nothing has happened. The couple had visited several doctors, and they had all said the same thing: _Some of these things take more time._

Haley scowled; she always knew doctors were full of shit.

Except for one, and she really wished he had been. Now, she wished this doctor had told her it would take more time. Haley remembered waiting in the clinic with Aaron, looking more nervous and frightened than ever. Haley had taken Aaron's hand and squeezed it...

 _"Aaron?"_

 _"Yes dear?"_

 _"I love you,"_

 _"I love you too,"_

 _"I'm scared," Aaron squeezed her hand back in reassurance,_

 _It'll be okay, dear." H_ _e was trying to be helpful, and she surely appreciated it, but it was no use. She tried not to be so pessimistic about it, but she knew that no good news was about to come._

 _She was right. The doctor had gotten into a long ramble about a fertility test that she had taken. But she hadn't heard anything else after she heard the word "infertile"._

 _Infertile. That was such an ugly word that was prepared to haunt her forever._

 _The color had drained from Aaron's face; he swallowed a lump in his throat, which was most likely was a scream wanting to be let out. Haley let out an audible gasp, she felt tears well up in her eyes, but she blinked them away._

 _"I'm terribly sorry, I'll give you two a minute alone."_

 _And the doctor was about to leave the room, until Haley stopped him,_

 _"No, we're okay," Aaron looked at his wife worriedly, surprised that Haley hadn't burst into tears by now. He doesn't like seeing Haley cry; but she was a very emotional person. He had known that Haley wanted children for as long as he could remember. Back in high school, she told him about her fantasies of having a large family. It was a dream of hers, they'd have Aaron's smile and her hair and eyes, but it'll no longer come true._

 _Aaron didn't exactly think of these things often; he figured it would happen eventually. That's why he was very appalled when the doctor told them they'd be unable to have children. Aaron was mostly upset that Haley's dream wouldn't come true. He watched as Haley remained emotionless, staring into nothingness. He wanted to hug her, comfort her, and tell her everything would be okay...but he was selfish...he was scared himself._

Haley's back staring into the mirror now, reflecting on how her stomach wouldn't grow with child. She would never be told by anyone that she was glowing, she would never have those weird food cravings, and she would never give birth to Aaron's child, an honor she wished she'd have. She believed she would never be a _mother._

Now, she had a burning hatred for those teen pregnancy shows that'd pop up on her TV screen time to time. These girls _whining_ that they don't want a baby. Now, she'd _kill_ to be in their shoes.

She felt a presence behind her while looking in the mirror. She turned around and saw the gorgeous, yet distraught face of Aaron Hotchner, "Honey-" Haley finally broke down into tears, her knees buckling down to the floor. Aaron was at her side right away, bending down to her level. She hid her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably, "Aaron...I-I-"

"Shhh...It's okay," he tried to comfort. He held her in his arms, and she latched onto him, not wanting to let go. She threw her arms around his neck, her head leaning on his shoulder while she kept crying,

"Honey, I-I don't understand. How?! Why us?! I can't believe this! What's our next step?!" Aaron's heart was torn at his wife's cries, he knew she was going to break down eventually, and he absolutely dreaded it. He tried to calm her down,

"We'll figure it out, okay? It's okay, Haley-"

"I really wanted a child," Haley's tears were unstoppable, it didn't look like she was going to stop, "It's all my fault, I'm sorry I can't get pregnant-" Aaron pulled back a little bit, trying to be firm,

"Haley, look at me," she does so, her eyes red from all the tears she had gotten out. "It's not your fault, honey. We'll figure this all out. Everything's gonna be okay." Haley's head went back on his shoulder, trying to get out all the tears that she had saved up since the clinic,

"Why u-us?! We-we've been together f-for so long-"

"I don't know, dear. But everything's going to be fine, I promise. We'll figure stuff out, okay?" Haley nodded, always trusting him. She hugged him even tighter as the sobs wracked her body.

"Shhh...shhh..." He had kept repeating over and over, in order to try to soothe her. He stroked her hair lovingly and watched as her sobs and cries turned into quiet whimpers. His eyes were wide with fear and uncertainty. He was glad that Haley couldn't see the silent tears going down his own face. _What's our next step?_

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 **A/N: I had forgotten to add an author's note. I'll look into any suggestions you guys have, as this will obviously be a multi-chapter story.**

 **Thanks!**


	2. A Drunken Car Accident

**A/N: Thank you much for the reviews, favorites, and follows! This had definitely encouraged me to continue writing this.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from Criminal Minds.**

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It's been an agonizing three months.

Haley didn't want to drown herself in self-pity, she knew she was stronger than that. But she still had trouble accepting that nothing would fill the empty void. Her stomach still remained flat. Meanwhile, she knew friends that were expectant mothers, and she envied them with a passion. She's too ashamed to admit that she was infertile.

Only one woman knew, and that was Haley's best friend, Kate. Even then, it took Haley a month to finally tell her. Kate had tears in her eyes and hugged her best friend fiercely, telling her that she'd always be there for her.

Haley would sit and stare through the window for hours at a time, watching the soft snow lightly come down from the sky, leaving white blankets on the sidewalks.

Every time Aaron would get home from work, he'd see her in the same position every time. Yes, he was hurting, but not as much as his wife. It pained him to see Haley stare blankly outside, as if there was no hope.

"Haley, I'm home," Aaron says, hoping to get her attention. He receives a non verbal sign, a nod of her head. Aaron sighed; this has become a routine. He wasn't annoyed; he just conflicted on how to help her. She'd have these moments where she'd remain silent, but then she'd be found crying at the end of the day. Aaron would just hold her until she fell asleep.

Aaron knew she'd get better soon, he just didn't know when. He always knew that there was adoption, not to mention a surrogate. He just didn't know what would be alright with Haley. It was a shame, because Aaron really wanted a child. He was hurting, but he knew that if Haley would get better, so would he.

 _These things take time._

Aaron didn't know, however, if he could truly trust that statement anymore.

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Thirteen year old Emily Prentiss put her hair up in a bun, trying to ignore to deathly glares from her older "sister". Ever since her parents died in a drunken car accident a few years ago, she had placed from foster home to foster home. Three years of experience in foster care taught her that the foster system sucked. She had been in the Wheeler household for three weeks, and she disliked it.

Actually, disliking the home was an understatement; she hated it. She hated her foster mother, she hated her foster father, and she especially hated her "sister" Christine.

Christine was the couple's biological child, so she was treated a lot better. She made sure that she rubbed it in Emily's face whenever she could. Her parents would turn the other cheek. Christine could kill three cats, run over a box of puppies, and shoot a nun and all she'd have to say was that Emily really did it. Emily was labeled as the "criminal" in their household. Mrs. Wheeler would accuse the young girl of stealing, despite being completely clean. It was their real daughter that had done the stealing.

"You know they don't love you, right?" Christine taunted the younger girl, who was trying to keep her temper under control. Emily had been kicked out of homes prior because she couldn't control it. This time, she found herself caring less and less,

"Yeah, and you think I give a shit?" She snapped, putting up her black hoodie. Christine visibly grimaced at the clothes,

"No wonder mom and dad don't love you, with clothes like that. You look homeless, then again, you carried all your clothes in a black bag. It's honestly appalling," she sneered. Emily looked down at what she was wearing; a black hoodie, ripped jeans, and worn out converse. Then, she looked at what Christine was wearing; designer, designer, oh and more designer clothes.

Clearly not showing favoritism.

"These are the only clothes I have," Emily said lowly, her eyes glaring menacingly at Christine. The other girl scowled and said,

"These are the only clothes you _deserve_. They never told me what happened to your parents though," Christine had smirked, knowing she had touched a nerve when she saw Emily's hand curve into a fist. She went on, "I bet they gave up on you. They probably didn't even want your pathetic ass."

"Shut up," Emily warned, using her dangerous tone. The older girl didn't listen, her smirk only growing wider,

"Did I hit too close to home? Oh wait, you don't have one. Not really, anyways. You'll never have a real home-"

"I said _shut up!_ " Emily said again, only she was louder. Just one more comment, only one more and she'd black out and go into a fit of uncontrollable rage.

"Your parents were probably deadbeat drunks, anyways." That was it. Emily's eyes had grown wide with anger, seeing nothing but red. She didn't think; she tightened her fist and swung with all her might. She wasn't surprised when Christine tackled her, leaving a nasty bruise on her face. Emily didn't stop there. She couldn't stop.

She wanted to hear her cry.

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Haley had poured herself a cup of coffee at the table. She decided that she couldn't watch the snow fall down anymore. It was making her too depressed. Aaron had just gone to work; and she tried to kept herself busy by reading magazines. She wanted to get this whole "infertile" thing off her mind.

Just when she was reading something about a celebrity affair, her phone had decided to ring. She sighed; she still wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone right now. Reluctantly, she picked up the phone and answered, "Hello?"

"Haley? It's Kate," Oh, okay. She could talk to Kate, but something was off with her voice, it seemed very urgent. But something was up, Kate would never call Haley at work,

"Oh...hey Kate. What's up?" Haley put the phone in between her shoulder and her ear while she flipped through the magazine. A sigh was heard from the other end, something was definitely wrong,

"I hate to do this...but I need a favor," Haley waited for Kate to continue, she had never asked her for a favor during work hours, that could only mean one thing, "I was recently called in to take a girl away from a foster home. She was fighting with the couple's biological daughter, and I need her to stay somewhere for a few days."

" _What_?!" Haley closed the magazine and sat up straighter, now giving Kate her full attention. She knew that Kate worked for CPS, which was probably why Haley had offered her frien comfort sometimes after a difficult case. Still, She wasn't expecting this, "Aaron and I aren't even foster parents! We're not...we-"

"It's just for a few days, Haley. _Please._ " Kate was practically begging over the phone now. Haley let out a distressed sigh, she couldn't say no. She wanted to say no, she really _really_ wanted to say no. Then again, this was probably the closest she'd ever get to being a mother, even if it was for only a few days. She's sure Aaron would understand too, knowing how much she wanted children,

"What's her name?" Haley asked.

"Emily Prentiss. She just turned thirteen a week ago, please Haley, can you do it?" Haley ran her fingers through her hair. She didn't answer right away, completely nervous, "Kate, what did you say she got kicked out for?" Haley heard Kate sigh,

"She got into a fight with the couple's biological child. Okay I know that-"

" _Kate!_ " Whined Haley, "If she's _violent_ then-"

"She's not _violent_ , Haley! I promise. She's just misunderstood. Please! This is the only time I'll ever ask you to do something like this ever again!" Haley grumbled under her breath, Kate owed her big time. She took a breath,

"Okay," she replied. _It was only for a few days, after all. This should be easy, right?_

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 ** _A/N_ : That's right! Emily Prentiss is the first, but certainly not the last, foster child of the Hotchner home. What will Aaron think? Who'll be the next foster child? Review and find out! :)**


	3. Meeting Emily

**Disclaimer: I really honest-to-God don't own Criminal Minds.**

 **A/N: Thank you for all your kind reviews! :)**

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When Haley hung up, she quickly sprung into action. Haley, for the first time since the clinic, had gotten dressed and headed outside and began to wait for the new girl. Even if it was thirty two degrees out, it was considered polite to wait for someone outside.

Haley's heart was beating rapidly, with both anxiousness and excitement. She was excited, because this is her first role as a foster mother. She was anxious for two reasons; she had yet to tell Aaron, and two, the girl had gotten into multiple fights. Haley didn't want to make such a quick judgment about Emily, she tried to be understanding, but she didn't know what to think. She and Aaron were approved last minute, and it could all be revoked if Haley did something wrong.

She watched apprehensively as a van pulled up to the front of their house, watching Kate getting out of the van first to greet Haley,

"Hey, Haley, how's it hanging?" She said, unusually cheerily. Haley blinked slowly,

"You bring me a foster girl who attacked her sister and all you have to say is 'How's it hanging?' Surely, you can do better than that,"

"I see you have your sass back," says Kate, with an amused grin. Haley gives back a grin, but it's very weak, "Emily's in there right now, I'll go bring her out for you."

Emily Prentiss was pissed. She didn't want to be here, she didn't want to be anywhere right now except her real parent's house, not some foster parent who'll treat her like horse shit. Here she was, waiting patiently in the car to go into this what was probably a snobby rich person's house.

Her parents had been rich too, maybe the stupid system is trying to make her " _familiar with her surroundings"._ Well it's all over now, she had adjusted to living like the peon she was told she was. Ripped jeans, a black hoodie, worn out converse, and very few clothes she had in that black bag of hers. She couldn't go back to her real parents house because some idiot was behind the wheel drinking.

That's what made her the most mad. The drunk driver had lived, her parents... _her wonderful parents_...hadn't. Emily wouldn't be satisfied, even if that man was in jail, she hoped he rotted there. She hoped he'd _die_ there. She hoped that man would suffer in the third circle of hell. Emily was angry; according to her, she never sounded like she was going a little overkill. The bastard got off easy, compared to what he should've gotten, why wouldn't she be pissed?

"Emily, Mrs. Hotchner is ready to meet you!" Emily rolled her eyes, she walked out of the car like a prisoner on death row. Once she stepped out, she immediately wanted to rush into the house; it was freezing, and she only had a light black hoodie on. She was met with a smiling face of Mrs. Hotchner.

When Haley took a good look at the girl, she immediately felt a wave of pity. What appalled her the most was her clothes, or should she say, the lack of. Emily's arms were gripping the other, clearly shivering from the cold. She had ripped jeans, so that clearly didn't help her legs, which were quivering slightly. What caught her eye next was the side of Emily's face, although she had a beautiful face, it was delicate. There was a bruise, which she could only assume was from the fight.

Haley wanted to get this girl inside quickly before she'd get hypothermia, "My name's Haley Hotchner. It's lovely to meet you, Emily." What's funny to Emily was that Haley probably knew all about Emily, meanwhile she didn't even know Mrs. Hotchner's first name was Haley. Emily didn't even know Mr. Hotchner's first name,

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Hotchner," _Fuck this place._ Was what she really wanted to say. She saw Mrs. Hotchner frown, as if she heard her thought. Thankfully, she didn't as she said,

"You don't have to call me that _Mrs. Hotchner_ nonsense, you can call me Haley," Emily's eyebrows raised up in surprise, she had never been offered to call someone by the first name before. In previous homes, she'd been told to call her foster parents very formally.

That didn't mean she still wanted to be here though.

"Where's Mr. Hotchner?" She asks, trying to prevent the bitterness from seeping in her tone. Haley seemingly hadn't noticed her struggle as she explained,

"Aaron's at work, he's a lawyer." Well that explains the large house she sees in front of her.

Kate seemed satisified with the introduction, so she left them to it as she went back into the van. As soon as she left, Haley put her arm around the girl's shoulders, "Let's get you inside, you must be freezing--"

"I can walk in by myself," said Emily, a bit too harshly. She had shrugged Haley's arm off her, as she let herself into the house. Haley pretended not to be bothered by the girl's behavior, and followed right behind her into the house. Haley had watched the Emily's expression, eyes wide and curious.

This was by far the largest foster home Emily had been in. Haley and Aaron had gotten this home a while back, in hopes of filling this home with many children. Money had never been an issue for the two. Emily was just about to ask, but she didn't want a new record of getting kicked out, so she kept to herself. When she hadn't heard the shouts of other foster children, She faced Emily and asked, "Where are the others?" Haley's brows furrowed slightly in misunderstanding. It was then she realized that Emily was used to other children being around,

"Truth to be told, you're my first foster child," Haley explained, watching the teenager's surprised expression. This house had so much room, she could only assumed it would have many children running around. Then again, She was an only child in a large house. Things had changed abruptly for her, so seeing a large home again would make her have to adjust.

 _Adjust?_ Emily inwardly scoffed. She was only staying here for a few days, right?

It was a beautiful house though. It reminded her of her old parent's house. There were multiple windows, places to watch the gentle snow spiraling down from the clouds. A place to watch the flowers bloom in the spring, not to mention the garden she and her parents had, which was the envy of the neighborhood. She wondered now if the Hotchner family had a garden. She'd love to see the brown and orange leaves fall from trees in the fall, as well as seeing a blazing sun light up the area during the summer.

"Would you like me to show you to your room?" Emily's thoughts were interrupted by that question. Taken aback, she merely nodded. Careful to not touch her, Haley guided Emily into the room she'll be staying in for a bit. Emily's first initial thought had been, _Holy shit, that bed looks comfortable._ It was bright purple, not the kind of purple that was messy and dark, but a calming light purple. The walls were painted white, but not insane asylum white. There was a dresser, with a mirror, and a closet to put her clothes in. It was much better than a black garbage bag.

"Well I know it's not much," Haley had started off, "But I figured we can change the colors for you tomorrow if you'd like." Emily stated at this woman with bewilderment, then she stared at the entire room. _This was her definition of not much?_ She thought, _Why would she go through the trouble of changing the colors for her?_

"Lady, I mean no disrespect to you...but why are you doing this?" Emily had bluntly said to her, making the new foster parent confused once more. The thirteen year old continued, "I'm only going to be here for a little bit. A week at most, don't waste your time on me." Haley took a step back, those words were drilled into her head, _Don't waste your time on me._ Did this girl truly believe she wasn't worth anything?

"Sweetheart," Haley had started off gently, "Although it's not for a while, I'd like to make the best of your stay here, okay?"

"Where's the bathroom?" Emily asked, changing the subject. Her voice had sounded weak, almost vulnerable. Haley let out a little sigh, and told her where it was. Just when Haley thought she was getting through to her, she had clamped up. She watched as the troubled girl followed the directions she was given and closed the door in the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Haley could hear the muffled sobs from the outside.

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Emily hadn't come out of the bathroom for about ten minutes. When she did, Haley decided last second that she wouldn't press her about it. Not now, at least. Emily would talk to her about it when she was ready. Haley had found that there was more of a side to Emily; that she wasn't as aggressive as she had seemed. Emily was under a mask; Haley knew that deep down, she was just insecure. After all, Haley had been thirteen once.

"Would you like something to eat?" Haley offered, it must've been long since the girl had a meal, and she looked quite peckish as it is. She saw the girl's eyes go wide at the mention of food, nodding eagerly. Haley went to the kitchen, which was nearby,

"How does a peanut butter and jelly sandwich sound?" Emily doesn't say anything, she's back to her withdrawn self, she still nods. Minutes later, Haley comes back with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich cut in half along with a glass of milk. Emily stares at the milk, confused, and then looks back at Haley, who was smiling, "Milk with peanut butter and jelly does wonders." Emily gives a little smile back, and begins to eat her food.

Emily jumps at the sound of keys rattling, coming from outside the house. The door opens, to reveal a tall stern looking man, "Honey, I'm home--Oh?" His eyes go to the girl, completely clueless on who she was. Aaron still waved to her, "Hello," he said. Emily shyly waved to him back, while chewing her sandwich. Haley had watched the scene, so she rushed over to her husband,

"Aaron, sweetie! I just wanted to talk to you about something really quickly--" Haley grabbed a confused Aaron's hand, rushing him out of Emily's sight and out of earshot. When Aaron knew he was out of earshot, he looked over to the girl and back to his wife, "Who is she?"

"Her name's Emily Prentiss," Haley started off with a sad sigh, "She's thirteen. Kate told me that she was recently kicked out of her old foster home and she needed an emergency place to stay so--"

"Wait, wait, _wait,_ " Aaron said quickly, trying to analyze the situation that he was in, "She was _kicked_ out of her foster home? For what?" Haley sighed, She couldn't lie to him,

"She got into a physical fight with her foster sister but Aaron, just look at her, please! It's only for a little bit, and I couldn't say no to Kate...I couldn't say no to Emily's sad _face--_ "

"Haley," Aaron said quietly, "I love you, and I know how badly you wanted a child but...do you think we can do this? Be foster parents? Foster children are often very troubled children." Haley nodded, looking back at the teenager that was almost done with her food,

"Aaron, I couldn't say no. I looked at this teenage girl, her eyes were brimmed with tears, I had to give her a home. You understand honey, don't you?" Aaron was contemplating, for what seemed like hours. He knew his wife was always trying to do the right thing, that's why he married her. But a kid? Especially a thirteen year old? That would be something challenging.

"It's only for a few days, right?" Aaron had asked his wife, making her smile and nod. Aaron smiled back at her, "I want to meet her." The two finally came back to where Emily was sitting, who was now finished with her sandwich. She drank all the milk too, she must've been pretty hungry.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hotchner," she said gratefully, not making eye contact with any of the two. Haley smiled warmly and corrected her gently,

"It's no problem, Emily. And it's _Haley._ " Emily now made the contact with the man that walked in earlier, he tried to smile at her and say,

"My name's Aaron Hotchner. But don't worry, you can call me Aaron. Mr. Hotchner seems like an old man name." Haley watched as something amazing happened, Emily _laughed._ It was an adorable giggle that escaped from her throat, it warmed Haley's heart. Aaron was relieved; he never thought he could make a child laugh.

"Can I call you Hotch?" Emily asked, a smile spread across her face. Aaron, who was now known as Hotch let out an amused chuckle,

"It'll be an honor," Hotch said, "My name's Hotch." He held his hand out, and was happy that Emily took it and shook it,

"Emily Prentiss," She said, her smile reaching her eyes for the first time since her parents died.


	4. The Earrings

**Disclaimer: I'll never _ever_ own the masterpiece known as Criminal Minds**.

 **A/N: Thank you again for your kind reviews, I've never gotten such positive feedback and kind criticism, and it really encourages me to write out this story. :)**

 **Also, what I'm trying to do is add a moment with a foster child so you get their character, and what kind of person they are. Soon after, another child will be introduced in some way, and the pattern will continue. Soon all five children will be together.**

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What was supposed to be a few days, had turned into something else. Emily Prentiss had been staying in the Hotchner household for about a week. She found that the longer she was here, the more she didn't want to leave. It was the first time she ever felt this way about a foster home.

Hotch and Haley hadn't noticed that a week had gone by. He, along with Haley had a lot of fun with the girl. When Haley suggested a new wardrobe to replace her old clothes, Emily had been ecstatic. Whether either of them wanted to admit it or not, they had begun to warm up to each other. Hotch had felt this way too. Sure, he didn't expect to have a thirteen year old foster daughter, but he soon found that her presence was nice.

Sometimes she'd be a bit withdrawn, which wasn't unsurprising. She wasn't completely ready on sharing her _entire_ life story, and that was completely okay with the two foster parents. Emily should take her time.

Hotch also noticed the change in his wife. Haley no longer had woken up crying in the middle of the night. She no longer complained about how flat her stomach would always be, she had stopped crying completely. When Haley had gotten better, so had he.

Winter break had just started, which meant Emily wouldn't be registered to go to school for another week. Emily wasn't exactly looking forward to going, anyways. She knew she was behind in all of her schoolwork. After all, the foster system sometimes made her transfer from school to school. Emily wished that she was somewhere that was _permanent._ More than anything, she wished her parents were still alive. If she couldn't have the latter, she yearned for the former.

Emily was in her room, putting her long black hair in a bun like she always did, she was looking in the mirror while doing so, in order to see. Her new clothes suited her, she was actually wearing things she genuinely liked. She even asked for a designer shirt that she'd seen Christine have in her closet.

That was when she saw _it._ Or should she say, _didn't_ see it.

Emily was _mortified._

She was such an _idiot!_

She had _always_ worn it. Her mother's earrings that had silver curved hearts. She reached both of her hands to her ears, hoping that it would just magically appear. But it didn't. She must've taken it off when she got in the shower, maybe she had misplaced it somewhere.

No, she had _lost_ it.

She ran out of her room and began her frantic search for her earrings. Haley had been reading a magazine while Hotch was watching a game. They both were in a shock when their foster daughter was looking very nervous and skittish. She had pushed things over in a frenzy, opening and closing jars that were placed around the house. Hotch shut the television off and Haley closed her magazine in worry.

"Emily, sweetheart, what's wrong?" Haley had tried to say gently, but loud enough to get the girl's attention. Hotch began to worry as Emily didn't answer, only brushing past them while breathing heavily; her eyes wide in fear. Haley and Hotch followed her; she went to the bathroom next. Emily checked in the shower, she checked the sink, she checked the toilet. The earrings weren't there Her breathing was getting worse, and the foster parents still didn't know what was going on.

"Emily," Hotch tried to interject, but Emily didn't listen to him. She tried to brush past him like she done before, but he was strong and blocked the door, "Emily, breathe. What's wrong?"

"I lost it, _let me_ _go_!" Emily had screamed her last sentence, which startled Haley and Hotch, but Hotch's expression was less visible. He held her back gently, making sure he didn't hurt her or hurt herself, "Lost what, Emily? Tell me. Maybe we can look for it together." He tried to use her first name as much as he could, hoping to coax her out of this frenzy. She shook her head roughly, tears streaming down her face in a panic,

"My earrings, my _mother's_ earrings!" Emily screamed angrily. This time, she had managed to get past Hotch. Haley and Hotch quickly tried to catch up to her. Emily was now in the kitchen, going back and forth, to recheck things _over_ _and over_ again,

"When was the last time you saw it?" Haley asked her, almost getting distracted by the slamming of cabinet doors and the rustled movements of Emily trying to look through the dishes. Emily rushed her fingers through her hair in distress, " _I don't know!_ I _had_ it! I _know_ I did! I'm a moron!" Her eyes then went to a place that she hadn't checked; _the garbage._ Emily had taken the whole trash can and dumped its contents on the floor. She got down on her knees and started rummaging through it, in hopes of finding her earrings. Haley quickly sprung into action and knelt along side her, She grabbed the teenager's arms from looking any farther, "Emily sweetheart, please _calm down!_ "

"No, _no! Get off me! Get the fuck off me you bitch!_ My mother's earrings are gone! And it's _ALL MY FAULT!_ " Hotch and Haley have never been so surprised in their lives by the drastic change in Emily. Perhaps she'd always been like this, and that she was going to snap eventually. Hotch had stayed back, but he was now kneeling in front of the girl. He knew that Haley would get through to her somehow. Haley had kept a firm hold on Emily, while trying to get the girl to meet her directly in the eyes, "Emily...sweetie, look at me. It's okay, we're okay." Emily slowly began to stop fighting, but the tears still clouded her vision, she shook her head angrily,

"No it's _not,_ " she says through her tears, giving the trash can a punch, making Haley and Hotch jump a little, Haley had gently out her hand over Emily's fist,

"Easy, honey..." Haley coaxed calmly, she noticed that her breathing was still a little uneven. She put Emily's hand on her heart, "Breathe and listen to my heartbeat." Emily did so, trying to listen to Haley's gentle and steady heartbeat, her vision was no longer cloudy. When Haley noticed this, she decided to ask the question, "Why isn't it okay?" Haley wasn't surprised when Emily burst into tears again once more,

"All the other kids took my mother's stuff, except her earrings..." Emily admitted, her face filled with vulnerability, "I wouldn't let them take her earrings. I _punched_ them before they could. It's...it's the only thing I had left of hers." Haley now understood completely on why Emily had reacted so strongly. She positioned the teenager so that her back would be facing Haley, Emily leaned into her, crying her eyes out. Haley slowly petted the girl's hair with one hand, using the other to hug her tightly.

"Shhh...sweetie I know," Haley kept repeating, "I know. Shhh..." Emily slowly began to relax in Haley's embrace, feeling completely safe, "Remember all the good times you had with her, that's what you'll never forget. That's what you'll always have and be able to look back on."

"They...they _died,"_ Emily said tearfully, "You know what sucked!? The guy _lived!_ He got away with a broken arm!"

"Sweetie—"

" _NO!"_ Emily roared angrily, "I hope he rots in jail! I wish it was _him_ who died! He was the drunk driver!" She now cried into Haley's chest, with Haley stroking her hair,

"I'm so sorry, sweetie," she kept saying, "It's okay. You're okay...He won't be able to hurt anyone else anymore..."

Hotch watched in fascination as the young teenager's eyes began to droop, clearly crying had made her exhausted. Soon enough, Emily had fallen into a peaceful sleep.

"Aaron," she whispered, thinking the same thing that he was probably thinking. Aaron nodded at his wife, taking her hand in his with the same realization,

"I know," is what he said, looking back at the sleeping figure, "I know."


	5. Broken Glass

**A/N: Wow! All I can say is wow! All of you are so kind! :) Thank you for your kind words and reviews. This next chapter introduces a new character! :)**

 **Disclaimer: Oh, and I don't own Criminal Minds. It'd be really cool if I did, however.**

0-0-0-0-0

Seven year old Jennifer Jareau, who preferred JJ, was sad, angry, mad, but most of all, confused.

She didn't understand when her mommy and daddy had said Rosaline, her older sister, had committed suicide. She didn't even know what the word _suicide_ meant. It didn't take long for her to realize that Rosaline was _gone._ Rosaline was _dead_ and that she was never coming back. Rosaline would project JJ from their father's blows, their mother's screeches, the broken glass on the floor that was due to smashed bottles of alcohol.

JJ didn't think Rosaline died at first, seeing that her parents weren't crying. She had come to realize that they never cared, and that they never will that their daughter died. And if JJ had died too, they _still_ wouldn't care. The blows from her father were still the same, as well as her mother's screeches, the smashed glass was still there. The only difference was that Rosaline couldn't protect her anymore.

It was a particularly bad night. Her mother wouldn't leave the bedroom, and her father would be watching the TV while laying down on the couch. Whenever he'd be on the couch watching TV, he'd ask JJ for a beer every five minutes. He'd down it rather quickly, so he'd _need_ more.

Their fridge had more beer than actual food. No wonder the little blonde girl looked practically malnourished. At the tender age of six, she had even tried to drink it, _she tried._ She was merely curious on why her dad _loved_ this stuff so much. She'd never do it again though, it was too bitter and had an aftertaste.

She knew what would happen if he had too much, but then again, she knew what would happen if she deliberately disobeyed him and not given him any. It was a double-edged sword, and there's no way she could escape it, especially with Rosaline gone.

The first week by far was the hardest. Her father's rage was uncontrollable, unmanageable, and it couldn't be tamed when he was drunk. His eyes were red and glazed, and his breath reeked of alcohol. Screams and cries had never worked, no matter how many times JJ begged him to stop as he kept hitting her. There were days where she'd lay down on the floor, broken and bleeding.

Walking around the apartment with a nosebleed was the norm. She's had it all; broken bones, a split lip, a concussion, you name it, she's gotten it due to the hands of her father. No one had the balls to accuse the man of child abuse, her mother's screeches would take care of that. The Jareau family was the outcast family of the poor neighborhood.

Despite the efforts of her second grade teacher, Mrs. Peck. She had _always_ known the little girl was hiding a secret. She had been suspecting child abuse ever since September, but because of JJ's mother as well as JJ covering it up each time, Mrs. Peck had no choice but to let it go.

After that week, JJ had still screamed, crying for help. She'd have all sorts of bruises the next day. Still, even with those bruises, she felt completely numb. If she pictured Rosaline's face, the bruises wouldn't hurt as much. JJ was still standing strong, she was a fighter. Her father had pinned her down to the ground and began to punch her repeatedly, until he heard the sirens outside of his apartment. One neighbor had finally had enough.

Well, that was JJ's early Christmas present, was her last bitter thought before she was placed in a car, with the things she had packed last minute.

0-0-0-0-0

 _Four more days until Christmas._ Haley thought, and she was very determined on what she should get for Emily. After she cried after losing those silver earrings her mother had, she had found a pair just like them. What made her nervous was that she didn't want Emily to think she was trying to replace her mother. She knew that no one could ever replace her mother and father. Hotch's gift was a box of baseball cards he had as a kid, because he knew that Emily liked to talk about baseball.

Emily had gotten very used to living with Hotch and Haley, as well as vice versa. It's been a full month. They had gotten so comfortable to a point where the time they'd be together was extended. Haley couldn't believe her ears; it went from being just a few days to at least a few months. Haley figured that the girl would probably want a different colored room, to find something more _permanent_ for her as she put it. Emily loved that word... _permanent._ It was so pretty. She didn't want to change her room though. _Her room._ She never had her own room before.

Emily had gotten her gift for both her parents. It wasn't much, it was only a poem she had written. A few days ago, she'd asked Haley and Hotch for a pen and some paper. They complied, and when they asked why, Emily only smirked and said, "That's for me to know and for you to find out." Emily had _skipped_ all the way to her room. Hotch and Haley watched with amused curiosity. When she had gotten the paper and pen, she wrote out every word with precision and care, working on her handwriting which was in neat cursive. When she was finished, she had kissed it lightly and kept it hidden.

Haley, Hotch, and Emily had all put up the Christmas Tree together, the ornaments gracing the tree filled with color and joy. It was a real tree, and to Emily, it even _smelled_ like Christmas. It was the smell of being outside, but you experienced it together as a family. Emily remembered when she was little that she had the honor of putting up the star on Christmas day. Haley and Hotch said she could continue this tradition if she'd like.

Haley was in the kitchen when she got the phone call.

"This is Haley," she answers, waiting for a response. She heard the favor-wanting voice from Kate,

"Hey! Haley it's Kate!" _Oh shit._ She was calling during work _again._ Haley's lips thinned slightly, she motioned to Aaron, who was talking to Emily, to meet her in the kitchen.

"What's up Kate? Is everything okay?" Haley could feel the hesitation from the other end of the phone.

"No...not really. I need you and your husband's help again," she asked. Aaron was now in the room, with a worried look on his face,

"Is everything alright?" He asks. The first thing that he was thinking was that he secretly hoped Emily didn't have to leave, he'd gotten so used to her just being there.

"What is it Kate?" Asks Haley, hoping to get a direct answer, "Just tell us—"

"I need you to take in another child in for me." Haley covered part of the phone with her right hand and faced Aaron with a sigh.

"What is it?" Aaron asks, losing his patience as every second passes by.

"Kate wants us to take in another child," she says, she watched as Aaron's eyes went wide,

"Haley, you told her prior that we planned on taking in only _one_ foster child, right?" Haley's eyes cast down towards the floor,

"I...I hadn't," she admitted. Truth to be told, she hadn't considered even the possibility of being called again to take care of another child, not until she heard Kate's voice on the other end of the phone.

"What's her name?"

" _Haley?!—"_ Haley ignored her husband's protest as she listened for the information from Kate,

"Her name's Jennifer Jareau, she's seven. Her father had beaten her pretty badly, and her mother seemed to be covering it up."

"Aaron," Haley's tone were pleading, and her eyes had looked like it too. When Haley said to Aaron that Jennifer was abused, Aaron's facial expression completely changed to pity. Still, he was a bit reluctant for two reasons. One, this girl was _abused_. He didn't know how she'd react when she'd see him and Haley. Two, Emily had just entered their life. They're unsure if they're ready for another foster daughter.

Aaron knew where something like this could head though. That's why he originally wanted to avoid being a foster parent in the first place. You're asked to care for one foster child, which turns to two, then it turns to three, then to four, or even _five._ God, imagine if he'd gotten to _five._ He didn't want to even think about that possibility.

Aaron took the phone from Haley gently, ready to tell Kate that they couldn't take Jennifer, then he heard Kate's voice on the line, "Please, Haley. I figured since you and Aaron have been doing so well with Emily.."

That was when everything changed. Aaron looked over to see Emily watching television, a smile creeping on her face, which was soon followed by a burst of laughter at whatever was funny on the screen. Aaron smiled one of his rare smiles, before saying,

"When do we get to meet her?"

0-0-0-0-0

 **A/N: Enter little JJ! Which character do you think will appear next? I'll try to make a new character appear every three chapters or so. :)**


	6. Call Me JJ

**A/N: Hey lovelies, it's Sam. Wanted to make a note on people suggesting Spencer Reid, just that he'll come up _very_ soon. I just need to build the characters up a little more.**

 **Disclaimer: I'm a sixteen year old that is going to be a high school senior this September, it's highly unlikely that I own a TV show. So there, I don't own Criminal Minds.**

0-0-0-0-0

"Emily, we need to talk to you about something," Haley said nervously. She was unsure about how the teenager would react to having a new foster sister. Haley shouldn't be so pessimistic, but she figured Emily would dislike it. Emily liked being the _only_ child. She had to deal in past foster homes with multiple children being around. Now that Jennifer was going to be in the picture, Emily wouldn't be getting all the attention.

"What's up?" Emily said, not thinking anything to seriously. She turned off the television and faced her foster parents. She saw hesitant looks on their faces, "...I'm not being taken away already, am I?"

"No, that's not it," Haley quickly interjected, she didn't even want to to think about when that time would come, "We have other important news..."

"A young girl is going to stay with us for a bit," Hotch added in, "Her name is Jennifer, she's seven, she's been through a lot, so we need you to be extra nice to her, okay?" Emily's eyes showed a mixed glimmer of sadness and anger, she knew what was going on. She was too old. Most couples wanted to adopt babies and little kids, not teenagers. How could she have been so blind? She tried to prevent the angry tears that wanted to slip out of her eyes.

"Okay," was all she said. She went upstairs to her room quietly, without making a sound. She closed the door behind him, not slamming it. Emily took a deep breath, and tried to compose herself. She picked up the poem she had written for Haley and Hotch. She gave it one last glance, before she ripped it to shreds while she finally let the angry tears go. When she finished, She stuffed her face into her pillow and let out a muffled scream, while kicking the bed.

She secretly knew that they would get tired of her eventually. _They all did._

0-0-0-0-0

JJ liked the pretty view of the house that the van pulled up to. She had never seen anything like it, and she was a little bit at ease. Before, she was nothing short of terrified. Throughout the entire car ride, the cries wouldn't stop. It was almost as if she was reliving the torture of her father's wrath. The difference between those cries is that at least she knew when her father would hit her, now she didn't know what to expect. When she got out of the car, Kate, the nice lady that drove her, knelt down in front of the slightly quivering girl, "Now Jennifer-"

" _Please don't call me Jennifer!_ " The little girl exclaimed out of pure fear. It was what her parents called her when they were angry. Kate wasn't taken aback, having dealt with child abuse cases before,

"What would you like me to call you, sweetie?"

"JJ," she said timidly, "Please."

"Okay JJ, these people," she's referring to Haley and Hotch, who had met up with the two once they saw the van pull up, "-are going to take good care of you. They're the Hotchner family."

"It's nice to meet you, JJ, my name's Haley." says Haley, with a warm grin. JJ smiled back at this lovely woman, which reminded her of how her mother used to be. Warm, kind, and full of hugs. JJ hoped Haley wouldn't screech anytime soon.

"I'm Aaron, it's nice to meet you." When Aaron put his hand out, he noticed JJ visibly flinch; as if he was going to hit her. When JJ realized that wasn't the case, he shook his hand cautiously.

"We have a foster daughter named Emily, she's thirteen and she's ecstatic to meet you." _Thirteen._ That was how old Rosaline was. Kate got back up and smiled at the girl, "It'll be okay. I trust them with my life." And with that, she went back into her van and drove off. JJ stared at the couple, wide eyed and afraid, Haley held her hand out to her, "Would you like me to show you inside?" JJ eyed her hand, at first untrusting, but took it.

Inside the house, she saw a girl who JJ could only assume was Emily.

"This is Emily," Haley told JJ, she then says to Emily, "Emily, this is Jennifer, but she likes to be called JJ." Emily smiled at the girl, but Hotch and Haley had known what the smile really was; _grim._

"Nice to meet you, _JJ._ " She said, with a hint of coldness in her tone. Haley inwardly sighed, this was going to be one _hell_ of a Christmas.

0-0-0-0-0

Emily didn't _like_ JJ, plain and simple.

JJ didn't understand why, but Emily seemed to _hate_ her.

The next day after JJ had arrived, Haley seemed to be giving a lot more attention to her, trying to treat her injuries. Emily had yet to know that it was JJ's own father who inflicted them. Haley looked very upset after she was done, saying that a child should never have that many injuries. Emily didn't like seeing Haley upset, clearly JJ made Haley upset. On top of JJ being brand new, adorable and _cute,_ she made Haley sad. This was even more of a reason to hate the seven year old.

When dinner had approached, JJ tried not to get upset when Emily purposely snatched the last chicken wing from the table that JJ was reaching for, only to eat less than half of it. Haley and Hotch watched that cold exchange; this prompted Haley to give JJ the rest of her own food. JJ had eaten it quickly, almost choking in the process. JJ was malnourished enough as it is, and Haley wished to fix that. Hotch didn't miss Emily's eye roll. He glared at her to get her to stop being petty, which worked for the rest of dinner.

It wouldn't stay that way for long.

JJ was coloring in a coloring book Hotch had gotten for the tiny blonde, and Emily had glanced over at what JJ was doing, eyeing it in disgust. _This girl is an idiot,_ was Emily's thought. Something cold rose within her, She _wanted_ to make this girl upset. She bluntly said, " _Jennifer_ , tigers aren't blue."

It wasn't the fact that Emily had told her the colors were wrong that made her scream, JJ screamed because Emily deliberately called her _Jennifer._ Emily reacted by taking a quick step back as Jennifer screamed and covered her ears. Haley and Hotch rushed over to see what the commotion was all about, and saw the state of the petite blonde, an ear piercing scream that tore at the couple's heart. They didn't have to really guess on what caused, or should they say, _who_ caused JJ to lose control. Haley had known from the moment that she mentioned another girl staying here, that there was going to be hostility. Haley gave Emily a look that could only mean that the latter was in trouble,

"We're going to talk in your room, _now_." Hotch had wished Haley would've tried to console JJ instead while he talked to Emily. He was almost positive JJ was still afraid of him. He didn't blame her, though, after being abused by her father for so long. Hotch watched as JJ covered her ears tightly, repeating over and over, "I don't want _it._ I don't want _it!"_ Hotch appeared calm on the outside, but on the inside, he was freaking out. He didn't know what to do. This girl needed a mother's love; she was afraid of men.

"Don't want what sweetheart?" Hotch asked sympathetically, though he was almost afraid of her answer. JJ's eyes were tightly shut now, a few tears managing to get squeezed out.

"To get a _beating._ " It took every muscle in Hotch's body not to react to such a dark statement. Hotch may have not fully gotten used to his foster dad position, but he knew damn well that no child should be subjected to _getting a beating_ , as JJ put it.

"JJ, look at me," JJ reluctantly looked at Hotch, her eyes hiding behind her hands, peaking through her fingers, at least she took her hands off her ears.

"As long as you're under this roof," Hotch started off firmly, "You will never, and I mean _ever,_ get hit by anyone here. You are safe here." JJ still looked a little spooked, but she held her pinky out,

"Pinky promise?" She says, quiet like a mouse. Hotch nods with an amused grin, taking his large pinky and wrapping it with her small one,

"Pinky promise," he repeated. He tried to find a way to divert from the negative subject, "I like your blue tiger, JJ. You have a keen eye for color." JJ let out a small smile since she was taken,

"What's _keen?_ " She giggled a little, finding the word funny to say. Hotch chuckled at her amusement and said,

"It means sharp or good," he answered.

"What do I call you again? I'm sorry I forgot your name," JJ asks kindly.

"My name's Aaron, but around here...sometimes I'm known as Hotch." JJ giggled again, a sound warm to Hotch's ears,

"Hotch is easier to say." The two began coloring in the coloring book in blissful silence.

0-0-0-0-0

"What _exactly_ were you thinking? Tormenting a seven year old like that?" Haley snapped at the teenager, and Emily looked like she was going to snap as well,

"Why is she here?!" Emily screamed at her, her temper getting the best of her. Her eyes were flaring, she felt her blood rushing through her veins, She felt uncontrollable, "Everything was fine until Jennifer got here!"

"That's the reason she got upset in the first place! She asked you to call her JJ!"

"It's just a name, why does it matter?!"

"Because," Haley started off, "What may be easier for you might be harder for others. You don't know JJ's story, and she doesn't know yours. She's gone through a lot, not unlike you, and I think you'd like it if I didn't tell JJ about your past, that is for you to decide when you tell her. The same works for JJ-"

"But-"

"No _buts!_ " Haley interrupted, "This girl needed our help, just like you did. We aren't going to turn our backs on her, imagine how you'd feel if we did that to you. My job is to ensure the safety of _any_ child that walks into my home, not to blab about your personal business."

"You've gotten bored of me." Emily stated, as if it were a fact. Haley went from angry to baffled,

"What?" Haley let Emily continue, the girl's eyes becoming more vulnerable as she talked,

"You bring in an adorable, younger, seven year old girl," she says, "How am I supposed to feel?" Haley sighed, _of course._ She should've considered that as well.

"It's not a competition, Emily. It's _never a_ competition. Aaron and I love having you here. We're not going to push you to the side." Something in Emily's face changed, what was once anger and the lust of demise, had turned into empathy and understanding. A couple of tears went down,

"I'm...I'm sorry," she let out guiltily. Haley's face grew a little softer,

"You shouldn't be apologizing to me," she said less strictly, "I think it's JJ who needs that apology."

Emily nodded.

0-0-0-0-0

Emily watched as JJ was coloring what was now a purple bunny with Hotch, which made Emily smile to herself. She had once found it disgusting, now she found it endearing, "JJ," she called shyly. JJ had looked up to her, eyes all wide and innocent, "Yes?"

"I wanted to say sorry, for not calling you JJ, and for saying that tigers aren't blue." JJ gave a weak smile to the teenager,

"That's okay," she said, trying to be cheery. "You're right, tigers aren't blue. Bunnies aren't purple, either." Emily knelt down next to the girl,

"Then why do you color them like that?"

"To be different," JJ answered, "My older sister would say, _creative._ " Emily picked up a purple crayon,

"Do you mind if I join you?"

"Come play," says JJ, meaning yes. Hotch got up from the ground as Emily took over, coloring in the bunny that was now purple. Haley and Hotch smiled and walked away, not wanting to disturb the peace. JJ was happy, for a moment she felt Rosaline was back.


	7. A Hotchner Christmas

**Disclaimer: I'm about to take my SAT, which means I'm a high school student that doesn't own Criminal Minds or any other TV show.**

0-0-0-0-0

JJ woke up the next morning in a warm bed that was next to Emily's. Although there were extra rooms in the house, JJ wanted to be near Emily all the time. These past two days, JJ had learned a total of three things. One, let Hotch and only Hotch get things from the top shelf of the kitchen if she needed something in order to prevent a box of cookies falling on her head. Two, Haley and Hotch would never hurt her. Three, Emily was slowly becoming like a sister to her.

Emily felt the same way about JJ, she liked being a big sister. They'd color, they'd laugh, and because Emily was tall, she would be able to reach the top shelf and score themselves cookies. Hotch and Haley hadn't caught the two, and they really hoped it stayed like that.

It was the day before Christmas, known as Christmas Eve. The two girls were sitting in their bedroom for the remainder of their afternoon. It's not like they had anything else to do anyhow. Besides, they grew to like each other's company.

"Emily, I need your help!" JJ had cried out suddenly, which made Emily drop what she was doing, which was rewriting her poem, to help JJ,

"What's wrong?!" Emily called out, thinking something bad happened. But when Emily finally looked, all she saw was JJ staring at her coloring book. Emily huffed in annoyance, she thought JJ was _dying_ or something.

"Kid, don't scare me like that," Emily settled on saying, it was better than exploding on her, "What's the problem?"

"Christmas is tomorrow," stated JJ, as if that were to explain everything. Emily raised a brow,

"Yes it is, JJ. Your point?" JJ frowned at her, tears beginning to well up quickly,

"I don't...I don't know what to get you g-guys." The tears were falling freely now, and Emily sat next to JJ on the bed, reaching over to hug her,

"You're just a little kid, you just gotta stand there and look cute," she says with a reassuring smile,

"But I...I never had a-" JJ began to hiccup through her crying, "I never had a family like this." Emily nodded in understanding, she let go of JJ's body and put an arm around her shoulders,

"You know, I haven't had a family like the Hotchner family in a while," the older girl admitted, tucking the blonde girl's hair behind her ears, "I'm lucky."

"Why? What happened to your family?" JJ asked innocently, Emily sighed. She knew JJ couldn't help it, it was child curiosity,

"They died in a car accident, do you know what dying means?"

"My sister," Emily looked confused as she saw JJ's head down as she said that, she waited as the little girl continued, "My sister died..."

"How?"

"Suicide. She _killed_ herself," Emily's heart stopped for about a second when JJ said those words. Those words should never have to be said by anyone, let alone a seven year old, it just made it worse. Emily found it depressing that a seven year old knew the definition of suicide.

"I'm sorry, JJ," Emily said after a minute has passed, "Was she your guardian?"

"No, my parents are alive, just...not right, um, they," JJ made a drinking motion with her hand and let Emily make the assumption. Haley wasn't kidding when she said JJ had been through a lot. At least Emily knew that her parents loved her, she now understood why JJ screamed and was afraid of Hotch at first. JJ's parents were sick.

"What was your sister's name?"

"Rosaline," JJ said, "That's my sister's name. She was thirteen."

"Never touch alcohol," Emily said firmly, she looked distant, eyes filled with hate, "It's disgusting and does bad things. My parents were killed because of a drunk driver."

"It makes people hit." JJ said, matter of factly. She wrapped her arms around Emily's body and sobbed into her chest. She moved over to sit on Emily's lap, latching onto her body as if she'd leave any second. Emily played with JJ's hair, knowing it was soothing when Haley played with hers when she was upset, she hoped it worked now. She watched as JJ's cries slowly turned into whimpers, whimpers that tore Emily's heart into a million pieces.

When she was done, Emily gave her a little smile, "Better?" She watched as JJ let out a little sniffle and nodded, looking at Emily with wide eyes. Emily's smile grew bigger,

"Great! I think I have an idea of a Christmas gift for Haley and Hotch."

0-0-0-0-0

"Honey?" Haley turns to Hotch, who was reading a novel.

"Yeah?"

"Do you like this?" Hotch closes his book, knowing it was going to turn into a serious conversation.

"Like what?"

" _This_ ," Haley emphasized, "The foster kids. JJ and Emily, doing _this._ Caring for them, loving them." Hotch sighed, he was really shitty at expressing his feelings. He used to be really stern, now he's grown into a softie. _Damn it, I guess that's what having children does to you._

"I do," he answered truthfully, "They're nice girls. I was a bit reluctant at first, but...it grows on you, you know?" Hotch's feelings have changed, it was the way fathers had felt towards their daughters. He was protective of them. He had never felt a wave of protectiveness towards anyone except his wife, things had changed.

You realize that there will be _moments_ though right?" Haley said sadly to her husband, who knew what she meant.

"I know," he said, equally as distraught, "All we can do is be here for them, right?"

"Right," Haley said, after a long pause she adds, "Aaron, I'm happy." Hotch took a look at her, and he knew that she was telling the truth. Her eyes were gleaming with joy, this is the happiest he'd seen her since they've been at the clinic.

"So am I," he said back, and he really meant it too. Truth to be told, this was the happiest he'd ever been. He'd come home from work to see his wife happy, his foster children safe, and their goals were fufilled; to have a family.

Haley hoped it'd last forever; adoption seemed to be an option, but he didn't know whether it was too soon or not. One thing he was scared for, was the day that Kate would call them and say there was a permanent solution for JJ and Emily. She had hoped the two's permanent solution would be in _her_ home.

Such dreams should become a reality.

0-0-0-0-0

JJ woke up cozy and well-rested. She looked over to see if Emily was still sleeping, her bed was made, and she was yet to be seen. Worried, she got out of her bed in a hurry and rushed downstairs to the living room.

JJ thought she was hallucinating. Her heart felt warm just by the sight. Emily, Hotch, and Haley were waiting by three, their smiling faces visible, with a few presents under the tree.

"Geez, JJ. I was wondering when you'd wake up." Emily said jokingly, "Merry Christmas!" JJ's eyes glistened at the sight of the tree and inhaled the smell of the pines. Haley rushed over and put a santa hat on JJ's head, a size too big.

"You look very adorable!" Haley said gleefully, "Before we open any presents, Emily, did you want to put the star on the tree?" To the couple's surprise, Emily shook her head,

"I want JJ to do it," she said. JJ was shocked, but at the same time she was honored. She had heard about her elementary school friends talking proudly on how they got to put the star on their Christmas tree. The Jareau family never had a Christmas tree. Emily gives JJ the star, who walks over to Hotch and lifts her arms up, wanting to be picked up, in order to put the star on top. This surprised Hotch, how the girl went from being petrified of him to letting him hold her. Hotch reached for JJ, positioning her with her back against his chest. He supported her by putting one arm under her legs, and the other by her hip. She looked worried she'd fall, turning her head to face Hotch,

"Don't worry, I've got you." That's all JJ needed to hear, as she placed the gold star of Christmas on top of the tree. Hotch gently let the girl down, who was beaming with pride.

"JJ, this is a present from Haley and I," Hotch said, giving the neatly wrapped box to JJ. She gaped, no one had ever given her a Christmas present except for Rosaline, and Rosaline wasn't here anymore, so she assumed she'd never get a gift ever again.

She didn't even open it at first, like most kids would, she merely _stared_ at it as if it was an unknown object.

Well, to JJ from other people, it was.

JJ slowly and carefully tore the paper off the box. When she finished that, she opened to see what was inside the box, which was a small, brown stuffed horse. JJ looked up at the two, not knowing what to say. Haley chuckled at the seven year old's shocked reaction,

"Well what are you gonna name it?" JJ actually thought about it, she couldn't name it Rosaline, she'd be too sad everytime she saw it. She decided to pick the first name to pop into her head,

"Will," she says aloud, then a thought made a grin appear across her face, "Or Willy!" Laughter spreads around the room at her enthusiasm. JJ runs over to hug Haley, and eventually moves over to Hotch, "Thank you."

"Wait, wait, wait! You're not done yet." Emily said with a smile, making JJ, if not, any more excited. Emily holds out a pink box with a small ribbon on top of it,

"I've asked Haley if we could get this for you. Since you love it so much," JJ pulled out the ribbon and lifted the hood of the box, which made JJ gasp. The box revealed _ten_ incomplete coloring books as well as many crayons. JJ ran into Emily, _tackling_ her with many hugs. Emily hugged back, highly amused, "Merry Christmas, JJ."

"I got you all something too!" She ran upstairs into her room in a rush. Haley looked at Emily as if she had something to do with this, the latter just shrugged,

"She's filled with Christmas joy," she said. The girl ran downstairs with multiple drawings, almost tripping on a step. She gives one to Emily, one to Hotch, and one to Haley. JJ still had another in her hands,

"I drew pictures of all of you!" she said gleefully. "Oh and the one in my hand is the picture of _us!"_ She turned it around to showcase it, "Look, there's Haley, and-and Hotch! And Emily. And the little one is me!"

"This is just way too cute," Haley said with a grin, making Hotch grin too.

"Can we put them on the refrigerator?" Asks JJ.

"Of course we can," Hotch said, "This is very nice JJ, thank you." Hotch's heart was filled with warmth. JJ had grown to them quite quickly, Hotch could start believing in the statement that some things take time. Hotch took out his gift for Emily, "For you," she opens the box to reveal what looks like an album. Emily looks at him in confusion, "Do you want me to open it?"

"Go ahead, it's your gift," Emily opened it, to reveal a bunch of baseball cards in chronological order. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head,

"This is so _cool!_ Thank you!"

Haley took out her gift for JJ, slightly apprehensive, "This is for you Emily." Emily took the tiny silver box laced with a ribbon. When she opened it, it revealed a pair of silver curved heart earrings. She didn't know what to say, she was about to cry out of pure joy. She looked at Haley, who looked nervous about what she was thinking, "Emily?--" Tears had welled up in Emily's eyes, and she ran over to hug Haley tightly; no words needed to be said. Haley rubbed her back, hugging the teenager just as tight, "I hope you like it."

"I-I do," she let go of Haley to get her paper that had been hidden upstairs in her room, she came running downstairs and shoved it in Haley and Hotch's face, "Please _please_ read it. You need to know--" Haley took the poem gently out of Emily's hands, and the teen watched with tears in her eyes as the couple scanned over the words she had written.

It takes a lot to make Hotch feel something; he wasn't an apathetic monster, he knew how to feel. It's one thing to have emotions, it's a different entity when you show them. This was one of the few moments that Aaron Hotchner was showing his emotions.

Haley was so moved to a point where tears starting to roll down her cheeks. She hugged her again so tight that if she hugged Emily any tighter, she would pass out, "I love you too, Emily."

"All of us love you too." Hotch interjected, which made JJ nod in agreement. She went in to join their group hug, and soon Hotch joined in as well. Haley was wrong before. This Christmas wasn't hell, it was the farthest thing from hell, but possibly a greater thing then heaven.

 **A Parent's Love**

 _A mom listens when you talk,_

 _A mom listens when you cry,_

 _A mom listens when you feel small,_

 _...when you don't even know why._

 _A dad makes you laugh,_

 _Cheers you up when you're sad,_

 _Gives you hugs when you're mad,_

 _...that's why I love that you're my dad._

 _Although we're not related by blood,_

 _You've stood by me long enough,_

 _To know that I could always trust you two._

 _...I hope you know that I love you._

~By Emily Prentiss


	8. School Blues

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds, and if I did, it wouldn't have lasted over thirteen seasons because I would've probably butchered the** **show.**

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"School!" Cried JJ happily, who was wearing her pink backpack with a gleeful expression on her face.

"Yep," Haley says with a smile, "I think both of you girls have missed enough school." She wanted to laugh at JJ's reaction of wanting to go to school. Haley had a reaction like Emily's, she remembered whining to her parents about school as well. Now she knew it from both ends. It was funnier with Emily though. She had whined and complained, "Five more minutes!" It had been five minutes, then it was ten, and after fifteen minutes, Haley pulled the covers off of her,

"Rise and shine!" Emily groaned and rubbed her eyes in frustration,

"It's too early for this."

"I'd get up now, do you want to miss breakfast?"

"Do I get to sleep in if I do?" Haley sighed. _Teenagers,_ she thought. "No, you need to eat breakfast. Up!" Emily sighed, frustrated, and almost rolled out of bed. Haley could be so annoying sometimes. Emily had gotten dressed and ready in record time. She met with everyone at breakfast.

"Morning, Hotch." She sat down and brewed herself a cup of coffee, JJ's eyes grew wide with interest,

"Can I have coffee too?!"

"No," Hotch and Haley said at the same time. JJ had expected that answer, but she didn't mind. She giggled as she drank her orange juice instead. Haley looked at Emily very baffled, the teen normally didn't drink coffee, "Emily, you never-"

"My sleep was disturbed," she said, sounding very grouchy. Haley sighed, _she's at the age._ She placed a piece of toast on the girl's plate, "Eat something at least." Emily scowled, taking a bite of the toast, which left Haley satisfied, "Aren't you guys excited about school?"

"Yeah!"

"No."

"Why aren't you excited Emily?"

"Because school is terrible." Oh dear god, Haley was right. She _was_ at that age. The pesimissm, the sarcasm, and the consistency of eye rolling.

"I liked school," JJ said, "It helped me escape." _Well, that was dark._ Haley didn't think a seven year old should say something that sad. Not many seven years olds would say something like any that. She'd expect her thirteen year old to say something like that.

"Well I won't know anyone there, I'll be by myself," Emily says, who was now nibbling on her toast. Suddenly, Haley saw JJ's demeanor change. The once excited girl who dreamed of going back to school was now looking more nervous than ever.

Hotch looked at his watch,

"It's 7:45, shouldn't the bus by here by now?" Haley's eyes grew wide as she heard the sound of his pulling up to the front of their house,

"Crap!" She exclaims, she hugs Emily quickly, "Have fun at school!" She rolled her eyes as she got up from her seat and grabbed her bag,

"I'll try," she said sarcastically. JJ looked upset as she watched Emily go, Haley knelt down in front of her, knowing something was wrong.

"We won't be in the same school," JJ confided in sadly, "What if I'm hated and no one will like me?"

"Then they don't know the true you," Haley said, she wasn't going to lie and say that everyone would like her, that'd be cruel. "Not everyone is going to want to be your friend, JJ, but I'm sure that many other kids will and if they don't, they're missing out on such a cool seven year old." The corners of JJ's mouth turned up in a form of a smile. Hotch was amazed, Haley made it look so easy.

0-0-0-0-0

Algebra was first.

 _What the fuck was algebra?_

Emily hadn't been in school stably for a while now. She scanned over her schedule in confusion, not knowing where anything or what anything was. Earth science? No idea what that was either. The science of the earth? English and History she completely understood, obviously.

"Are you new here or something?" Emily turned around to find the voice of who said that. She came face to face with an African-American girl who was around her age.

"Yes," Emily had started off, "I'm supposed to have algebra right now in room 217?" The other girl smiled kindly,

"Oh you're in my class. No worries, I'll show you." Emily rose an eyebrow, she didn't expect someone to be so _willingly_ kind. Back in her old school, no one had bothered to tell her anything.

"So you transferred from what school?" The girl asked while the two walked to their class. Emily gave the girl the name of her former school,

"Why'd you leave?" The other girl asked curiously. Emily couldn't tell this girl the truth; she hardly knew her.

"My dad got a new job here, thought it'd be easier to transfer." Emily had lied through her teeth. The girl had seemed to buy it, she then said,

"What's your name?"

"Emily Prentiss, what's yours?"

"Tara Lewis."

 _Did she just make a friend?_

0-0-0-0-0

Mrs. Railing was really nice, JJ had thought. She had pretty red hair like the little mermaid. She had a motherly type of feel, which JJ immediately noticed. Mrs Railing most likely knew about JJ's home situation, so she knew that she had to have a more gentle approach towards the girl. What made JJ like Mrs. Railing was as soon as she walked into her classroom, she knew that she preferred JJ, not Jennifer.

JJ remembered liking school because she would be able to draw in her classes. Before living with the Hotchner family, she wouldn't be able to go to school as much as she should've, due to injuries all over her body that needed time to heal. Things have changed, she was no longer drawing, but doing actual work.

Still, she missed Emily. Sure, the work would be harder, but she'd be with Emily at least. If JJ ever struggled with anything, Emily would help. Emily _always_ helped, even if she didn't want to. Emily wasn't here right now. She was in middle school.

JJ was doing math, multiplication times tables to be precise. JJ _hated_ math with a passion. She always had struggled with it, even when she was trying her hardest. _Seven times four?_ She didn't have a clue, and it made her feel really stupid. She preferred to draw or color something in. Giving up on the worksheet, she took out her notebook and began to draw. She wanted to do something she _enjoyed_ and something she was _good_ at.

Time had passed, and Mrs. Railing was going over the worksheet with the rest of the class while JJ was still drawing. The girl didn't seem to hear her name being called, "JJ?" She stopped what she was doing and faced Mrs. Railing, "Yes?"

"What did you get for question five?"JJ froze; _that was the seven times four question_. Had Mrs. Railing known that she'd given up on it and prepared to humiliate her? She didn't know. She knew now that she couldn't _trust_ adults other than Haley or Hotch.

"Uh...um," JJ had stammered, feeling anxious and self -conscious. She really had tried, she _really_ did.

"Are you _stupid_ or something?!" A random boy shouted in the middle of the classroom, making the other students erupt into laughter. That was it. She was done. Emily was right, school was terrible. JJ fled out of the room, bursting into tears.

0-0-0-0-0

Haley had gotten a call from JJ's school already, she could only indicate that something had happened. It was most likely going to be bad. She had gotten to school as quickly as she could, wondering what all the commotion was about.

"Are you Mrs. Hotchner?" Mrs Railing had asked, stepping outside of her classroom with Haley,

"Yes, I'm her foster mother, what's happened?" Mrs Railing heaved out an upset sigh,

"JJ fled out of the classroom, a boy was making fun of her for not knowing an answer to a question. She looked very upset."

"Did you find her?"

"Yes, she's in the main office, four doors down to your right. I tried speaking to her but all she said was that she didn't want to go to school anymore, I was hoping you could speak with her."

"Of course," Haley was about to do what the teacher said, but she stopped her and said,

"She's very bright," she started off, "I saw her drawing earlier. Normally I'd yell at any student if they got distracted like that, but I think I'll make an exception this one time."

"Thank you," said Haley, before she had gone off to find JJ.

Several questions were going through Haley's head. The first one being of JJ was alright, but it was a rhetorical question; of course she wasn't. The second was whether JJ was going to be alright, that was also a rhetorical question; of course she was. JJ was strong. Now she hoped that Emily was doing okay in school and that she wasn't having any problems.

Haley had found JJ in the main office, just sitting in a chair with a wet face. The former took a deep breath and raised her voice a bit to get JJ's attention, "JJ." Sure enough, the girl's head snapped up to Haley's eye level, looking frightened. Haley knelt down in front of her to reach her height and used her thumb to wipe JJ's tears,

"Mrs. Railing told me you were having a bad day," she said gently, to show that she wasn't mad at her. JJ sniffled and nodded,

"Yeah..." was JJ's soft reply, "I...I couldn't answer a question! I just gave up! I didn't know how to--"

"Sweetheart," Haley starts off, still wiping her tears, "If you were struggling, you could've asked Mrs. Railing to help you. You should never ever give up, not just in school, but with anything."

"But--"

"If you wanted to draw something and you struggled, would you give up on what you drew?" JJ seemed to be thinking about it until she concluded it with a no.

"It's the same thing with school, with anything. Everyone's here to help you, you know that right?"

"Not my class," JJ said bitterly, lighting kicking her feet back and forth, "You know they _laughed_ at me? Everyone hates me!"

"That boy that called you at caused that right?" She watched as JJ silently nodded her head. Haley continued, "That boy is foolish for not seeing the wonderful girl you are, and as for those other kids that laughed with him, they were possibly nervous. You're brand new, and he's been in the class for a while now. I'm positive, JJ, that you'll make at least one friend." JJ looked up at Haley hopefully,

"Really?"

"Yes, really." JJ seemed very hesitant still,

"How can you be so sure?" Haley reached over to give JJ a long hug while smiling and she said,

"These things take time."


	9. 4 Years, 2 months, and 6 Days

**Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is made by a group of artistic geniuses, I am not an artistic genius, so I think it's safe to say I don't own it.**

 **Hi lovelies! It's Sam, and I just wanted to let you know that I'm about to post a one-shot about Spencer Reid and his addiction to Dilaudid. It's called _Needles_ I'd really love it if you guys would check it out! :)**

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After exactly three weeks, JJ found it easier to make friends. She made friends with a girl named Lucy Fordham, who always called her JJ. Lucy would always color and draw with her, and was always nice to her. JJ was even invited to the Fordham household once. Lucy's parents, Jillian and Craig, were very kind and welcoming, and they had taken a liking to Haley and Hotch. They both were very understanding about JJ's situation.

Emily had been hanging out with Tara Lewis frequently as well. Haley was glad her two foster daughters had been able to make friends. She knew that foster children sometimes had trouble making friends, that's why she was okay if Emily and JJ each made one friend. You'd have a closer bond that way, anyways.

"The bus will be here in fifteen minutes, Emily! Hurry up!" Haley shouted at the bottom of the stairs. Emily was still getting ready upstairs, taking extremely long.

"Hold on! I'm putting my makeup on!"

 _Makeup?_

...Nope, she didn't want to know.

"Well hurry up! You don't want to be late, now do you?" At the exact moment, Emily came running down the stairs with her face plastered with makeup. She tried to rush past Haley, but she quickly held her back by grabbing her shoulder, "Whoah, whoah, whoah!" Haley got a quick look of her face, "You are _not_ going to school like that." Emily crossed her arms, and act of defiance,

"But it's _my_ choice! It's my face!"

"It's too much! Try for something more gentle and less harsh-"

"Maybe I don't want to!"

"You look like a clown hooker!"

"Be quiet mom, I don't!"

No, get back upstairs and come back with less makeup! Less is more, I have you know!" Haley strictly said. Emily scowled and marched back upstairs, each stomp harder than the last.

 _Wait, did she call me mom?_

Haley felt fuzzy and warm for the rest of the morning.

0-0-0-0-0

At the tender age of four years, two months, and six days, Spencer knew his mother's entire schedule. Yes, in the one thousand, five hundred, and twenty eight days he's been alive, he already knew his mother's schedule. When she should take her meds, when she should eat, when she should sleep. There were good days, and there were bad days. He didn't know why his mother was like this, but he still loved her all the same.

Spencer overheard his mother and father fighting about this. It was right before his father walked out on them months ago. William Reid claimed that he didn't want to take care of Diana Reid, and he didn't want to see his son grow into the same madness. William said it was starting to happen already to him.

That confused Spencer more than anything. Spencer wasn't dissolving into _madness_ or anything like that. Just because he liked certain vests, hated certain sounds, and had some other peculiarities, didn't make him a crazy person. He was _unique_ as his mother put it.

His father was a weak man, everyone knew that. His mom knew that, Spencer knew that, and William himself knew that.

Therefore, he left. Spencer didn't like him anymore, anything or anyone that made his mother upset was not his friend. The special bond between him and his mother was unbreakable, even if there were bad days, it'd never be as bad as the good days were good. The days when Spencer would cuddle up against his mother while she read him Dickens, Twain, or Melville.

Since his father left, he had to step up, reminding her when to take her meds. He knew that she didn't want to take them, and he didn't want to see her pain, but it would prevent the _bad_ things from happening. He hated the medicine because of his mother's reluctance, but was relieved with its effects on her. The only scary thing about that was how she'd react when he'd tell her to take them. As smart as little Spencer was, he never knows what his mother would do. Sometimes, she'd take it willingly, sometimes...she wouldn't.

"Mommy?" Spencer opened the door of his mother's bedroom slightly. She was laying in bed, which was never a good sign. A chill ran up his spine, something was...different about this time, "It's three-thirty, time for your medication, mommy." Diana Reid sat up abruptly, the motion makes Spencer flinch; today was _not_ going to be a good day,

"No," She said forcefully, getting out of her bed frantically, "It's vile...it's poisoned."

"No, it's not," Spencer tried to reassure, "I promise. You've taken it before."

"...You take it," she snapped at her son. Spencer froze; she had never asked him to do that before. Surely, he couldn't take it. He was a child, he couldn't. Spencer mentally kicked himself for not thinking of a solution of this situation had ever had to occur,

"Mommy I can't. I'll get sick -"

SLAP!

Spencer raised his hand to touch his stinging cheek, eyes widening in surprise. His mother had _never_ struck him like this in a while now. Diana's eyes were now crazed, darting around the room in fear, "You _were_ trying to poison me!"

"M-mommy that h-hurt!" Spencer began to wail, incredibly fearful. Diana didn't buy his " _trick"_ , which is what she saw this as, she slapped him again , only this time it was harder than before,

"I'm _not_ falling for it!" Diana shrilled, "You're crying to alert them! You're trying to get the government here!" Spencer didn't understand; what did the government have to do with this? Being confused and unsure only made Spencer wail even louder. With each wail, Diana hit him harder than the last. When it had been going on for more than ten minutes, he heard someone thrust the door open with a slam. Multiple footsteps had been scattered around the room. They were pulling his mother away, even then, Spencer was still in pain. When Diana was restrained, Spencer hugged his knees to his chest and never let go.

The noises, the screams, the blood he saw dripping down his nose, it was all too much for him. All his senses were conspiring against him; it _hurt._ He yearned for blissful silence. Someone was trying to talk to him, but he couldn't hear them, he was too overwhelmed. Spencer began to press hard on his ears with his hands, shutting his eyes. He had began rocking himself back and forth, humming loudly out of distress.

Other people surrounded him; it took them seven minutes to get him to calm down.

Spencer was still sniffling; he _hated_ not understanding.

0-0-0-0-0

"So how was school?" Hotch asked the two girls at dinner time.

" _So. Much. Fun!"_

"Hell..."

Haley didn't even have to look to know who said what. Their voices could be completely disoriented, and she'd _still_ know. Emily was bitter sounding, and JJ was eager. Either way, the two girls are getting a chance of normalcy in their lives.

"What'd you do in second grade?" Asks Hotch.

"Mrs. Railing taught us fractions," JJ said excitedly, "If you cut a pie in two parts, did you know they're each called it's _half?_ "

"No idea," Emily said sarcastically, as she took a bite of steak.

"Hey," Haley warned the girl, "What's got you so upset?"

"Middle school sucks," Emily went on to explain, glaring at Haley, "You wouldn't let me put on makeup."

"You don't even need makeup anyways," Haley replied.

"I saw a _pregnant_ girl in my year, is that supposed to be a sign for me?" Hotch put down his fork,

"It better not be."

"No promises," Emily said with a smirk across his face.

"Don't joke," Hotch warned.

The home phone started ringing again, Haley had gotten up to answer it, "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Kate!"

"Alright, who is she?" Kate was silent for a moment, and chuckled loudly and said,

"What? I can't call you to say hi?"

"With your recent record...not really. Just tell Aaron and I who-"

"Tell Aaron what?" Aaron said from the table, getting up to stand next to Haley, "Is that Kate?" Haley handed the phone over to her husband, "Who is it?" He heard her sigh again in distress, this was seriously getting _old,_

"Tell your wife it's a _he._ Spencer Reid, four years old. His mother is a paranoid schizophrenic and she tried to attack him." Hotch sighed sadly, these stories just keep getting more and more sad,

"We have room," he said to Kate, which surprised Haley. She seriously thought that because she handed him the phone that he'd say no. Years after knowing him, things are starting to take an unusual turn. When he hung up, the two girls immediately started bombarding them with questions,

"Who was it?"

"What's wrong?"

"Did-"

"Shhh!" Haley fiercely hushed over the two girls, shutting them up quickly as she added, "A boy named Spencer is joining us, he's about four, and he should be here soon." JJ smiled in delight,

"I've always wanted a little brother or sister! Do you think he'll fit in dolls' clothes?"

"A little brother!" Emily squealed with joy, which was a much different reaction from when she heard JJ was joining the family. Haley liked the change, but her main priority was to provide safety for their kids.

It had become a maternal instinct that she was proud of.

At that moment, the phone rang again. Kate was calling again.

"Yeah, Kate?" Hotch says, speaking into the phone. Kate chuckled a little nervously,

"Oh yeah, one thing I forgot to mention," Kate started off steadily, "It's about Spencer, he's autistic."

0-0-0-0-0

 **A/N: The character that 95% of the followers and reviewers were waiting for. It is semi-canon that Reid is actually autistic, so I want to interpret that into the story. After all, there are a lot of foster children that do happen to have special needs.**


	10. Spencer's Meltdown

**A/N: Hey guys I'm finally back! May is a pretty busy month for me, but I'll try my best to update.**

 **I hope this chapter was worth the wait for you guys!**

 **~Sam**

 **Disclaimer: I'm not the owner of Criminal Minds. If I was, I'd have lots of money that'd be spent on kittens.**

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"I'm sorry, what?" Hotch says into the phone, not believing what he heard. He goes into the kitchen as if he'd be able to hear Kate more clearly, Haley followed him along out of curiosity. She pressed her ear closer to the phone to try to listen.

"Yes, autism. He had an autistic meltdown when we had found him in the home. According to his file, however, he's high functioning. It's called Asperger's syndrome, he's exceptionally bright, too." Kate explained. Hotch was completely clueless. He along with Haley have been doing exceptionally well with JJ and Emily, the changes were noticeable in their demeanors. How were they supposed to care for a child with special needs? That was another thing about caring for foster children. Children with disabilities or other issues are seen in foster kids more frequently.

"Haley, how are we going to?—"

"We'll manage," Haley interrupted without even thinking about it, "We have room, you know."

"What about the girls?" Hotch remembered how JJ was talking about dressing Spencer up, and how excited she and Emily were,

"If he's autistic, he'd probably hate how people would touch him or hug him. You saw JJ and Emily's reaction for him to be coming here," Hotch took a breath, "The fact that when cops tried to touch him and he freaked out, imagine what it'll be like with two squealing girls." Haley seemed to be contemplating the situation, while Hotch had continued,

"Do we even mention that he has autism to them?"

"Only if he has a meltdown, then we explain it. Hopefully, they'll be understanding." Haley really didn't want it to come to that. She remembered telling Emily that she wouldn't blab about another foster kid's story, yet she had to keep her family safe.

"Um, guys? I'm still on the phone. Does this change anything?" Kate had asked.

"Of course it doesn't," Hotch found himself saying, surprising his wife as well as himself. "We'll still care for him. You just need to let us know his needs are."

"I can bring a file," Kate offered hopefully.

"That works," said Hotch, "Goodbye," he hung up on her for the second time today.

" _Three,"_ said Haley, bordering on eagerness as well as anxiety, "Three kids, and we didn't even think about adopting any of them."

"Haley it's too soon—"

"Oh, come _on_ Aaron," said Haley, cutting him off, "It's going to end up happening. The only times Kate had ever called us up was to let us know that she needs our help with another child. It's clear we're used to having JJ and Emily around, we even enjoy it. You remember last Christmas. I thought I saw you shed a tear after you read Emily's poem."

"Oh _stop,_ " Hotch said, with a roll of his eyes, "Totally untrue." Haley gave him a teasing smile,

"Totally true. You're softer."

"Damn," Hotch said, grinning a little.

"Emily called me _mom_ this morning," Haley said with pride. This got a pleasantly surprised reaction from her husband,

"Yes, I know. I've never felt so great! Even if it was a mother daughter fight that we kind of had."

"You have tears in your eyes," Hotch noted, "Why?"

"I feel like the void is being filled," she answered.

0-0-0-0-0

Spencer clutched his teddy bear with all of his might, cowering in fear. He touched the bear's soft head, the texture of it that would soothe him. It wasn't working very well now, as he was in a van, not knowing where it was headed. Spencer _hated_ not knowing. He heard a car honk loudly, which made him want to retreat into his own world. He wanted to hum, he wanted to scream. Hell, he _needed_ to rock himself, he couldn't now, out of pure fear of those officers coming back.

He thinks about this until the van pulls up to a house, stopping abruptly.

Four people were waiting by the house. A tall girl with dark black hair, a little blonde girl, a woman, and a man who looked very stern. Spencer clutched the teddy bear even harder as the woman named Kate let him out of the car. She undid the booster seat and he hopped off.

She tried to pick him up, but it caused Spencer to whimper in fright, so she just let him walk.

"Spencer," Kate said softly to the boy, "This is where you'll be staying at. This is the Hotchner family." Haley tried to look at him in the eyes, but he was avoiding them. He seemed to be fixated on Haley's left eyebrow.

"My name's Haley," the blonde woman said, "These are my two foster daughters, JJ and Emily. Over here is my husband, Aaron."

"He's also known as Hotch," JJ said with a smile, slightly clueless on why he wasn't looking at them. Emily was silent, observing him cautiously. It still didn't change the fact that he was totally adorable. Years after being in foster homes taught her that you couldn't be too careful. Spencer's eyes were frightened, much like JJ's when she had first come here, they darted over to finally get a view of his new foster mother's face.

It reminded him too much of his mother's, especially with her blonde hair like hers. The thought of it made him burst into tears once more. The adults were clue on how to help a child who refused to be touched. JJ took a step closer to him, "Hi, I'm JJ. What's your bears name? My horse's name is Willy!"

"W-W-Willy?" The boy stuttered, he almost stopped crying. The boy had looked at the girl, and noticed she had crystal blue eyes, she was smiling, "Yeah! I got him for Christmas. What's your bear's name?"

"It doesn't have one. Toys are just toys," he simply said, reduced to light sniffles. She held her hand out to him, "Do you wanna play inside and color?" Spencer eyed JJ's hand with distrust, he couldn't.

"Can we do equations instead?"

"Can we do equ- _what_?"

"Sweetie how about we show you to your new room?" Haley said gently, not wanting to upset the boy any further, she noticed that his eyes were on Hotch's shoes, "Spencer?" His head snapped up, but he still didn't look at her. Haley tried again patiently, "Why don't we go inside?" This time she recieves a nod from him. It's a start, she thinks.

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Spencer didn't like his room. It had no books whatsoever. Nothing to read, nothing to do. There was a small window, that he couldn't climb and escape out of because of the lock. His bed was stiff, and the feeling of the sheets when he tried them made his skin crawl.

Nothing was right. Everything was _wrong._ Spencer hated when things were wrong. Things had to be right, he was always right. If he wasn't, then everything would fall apart.

His father is gone, now his mother is gone. All he wanted now was to be with his mother. Yes, she hit him on her bad days, but he'd still have her good days. Her good days outweighed the bad.

It was too much for him to handle. All he heard was the shouts from not too long ago, all he saw was the blood dripping from his nose when his mother hit him. He didn't understand his situation. He just _didn't_ get it.

He _hated_ not understanding.

Spencer let out a piercing scream that was undeniably heard in all of the rooms in the house. He didn't care who heard him, it hurt way too much. He fell to his knees and screamed even louder than before, as if it were even possible. He backed himself into a corner in his new room and began to rock in a mantra, hands clamped over his ears in fright. Haley and Hotch came running into his room, looking frightened and with pity when the couple saw the mental state he was in. They leaned down on the floor to reach his eye level. JJ and Emily were right behind them, their eyes wide with shock.

"Hotch, what's going-"

"Not now, JJ," said Hotch, with seriousness. He briefly faces Emily and says, "Take JJ and go to your room."

"But-"

" _Now!_ " Hotch said forcefully. Grabbing JJ's hand, she led her foster sister back to her room, her head turning to Spencer's direction with curiosity and worry. When she and JJ were out of sight, the couple watched, completely clueless on how to approach Spencer.

"Is this the meltdown?" Hotch asks.

"If it isn't, then I'm terrified to find out what it is." Haley answered, hoping that it was a yes. Spencer stopped rocking himself suddenly, he began to hit his head against the wall forcefully and purposely. Haley's eyes widened, she no longer cared that Spencer hated to be touched, she had to do something. He was _hurting_ himself. Haley gently grabbed Spencer by the shoulders, which got the reaction she expected, he screamed more. He didn't know how to express himself, he could only scream.

"Haley what are you-"

"I know what to do," Haley interrupted Hotch calmly, as she began to sit in a pretzel like style. She had cradled the screaming child, who had tears running down his small face. Hotch could only watch as Haley began swaying Spencer gently from side to side, hoping the motion was soothing enough. His screams had begun to quiet down, but he was still crying and sniffling.

"I...I-"

"Shh..." Haley kept repeating, hoping the white noise will give him something calming to focus on, "It's okay. Shh..." He leaned against Haley slightly, whimpering. His meltdown was coming to an end, and relaxed in his position as she kept swaying him. His eyes felt a little droopy, and it became a struggle for him to stay awake. Hotch was about to speak, but his wife shook her head meaning that now was not the time. She began to hum a melody, a melody that her mother sang to her as a child. She continued her light swaying as she hummed it. Spencer looked very sleepy now, listening to the rhythm of Haley's heartbeat.

Minutes seemed like hours, and eventually Spencer reached full exhaustion and ceased crying. He stood completely still with his eyes fixed on one place. He was enjoying it when she was rocking him, it reminded him of when his mother would do that. Spencer fully relaxed within her warm touch and fell into a peaceful sleep.

Hotch smiled at the sleeping form, and then smiled at his wife. _She really was the perfect mother._


	11. Night Terrors

**Disclaimer: Sammie050301, aka me, does not own Criminal Minds. Although it would be honor to own said show, she'll stick to writing fanfiction and gushing about cats.**

 **This chapter is a response to a guest reviewer that simply went as "K".**

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When Haley and Hotch had found out a couple of days later that Spencer _hated_ his bed sheets, they fixed it instantly. Now, the child could possibly sleep comfortably in peace. They were wrong, the child never stopped.

Hotch and Haley should've considered the possibility of this happening. With three children, children that were traumatized in some significant way, were going to have night terrors and nightmares. They rarely happened to Emily, probably because she was very quiet about them. It consisted of how she envisioned how her parents death took place. Haley and Emily had a long conversation a while ago about these nightmares, the one time Haley had heard Emily scream in her sleep...

 _"Talking about them will help, you know," Emily was avoiding Haley's eyes, her head facing in a different direction. Her eyes looked different; distant, "I know, it doesn't mean they'll go away."_

 _"Maybe they will, maybe they won't. You won't know if you try," Haley tried again, this time more gently, "Have you told to any other foster family member over the years about your nightmares-"_

 _"Don't call them that," Emily had snapped bitterly, "Nightmares are for children, I'm not a child."_

 _"You're thirteen," Haley said, "That's a minor under the law, therefore, you are." Haley took in a breath and said, "By the way, you're wrong. Adults get nightmares as well."_

 _"Right..." Emily said disbelievingly, with a roll of her eyes, "I'm sure you got nightmares..."_

 _"Did I ever tell you on how I became a foster mother?" Emily was curious on how Haley changed the topic, but she secretly knew that it was a way for Haley to link this to her topic prior and make a lesson out of it. Slowly, the teenager nodded. Haley took a deep breath and began to explain, "Aaron and I have known each other since high school. We've always wanted children; but we couldn't."_

 _"What do you mean?" Haley sighed,_

 _"The doctor said I was infertile, therefore I'm unable to carry children."_

 _"...I'm sorry."_

" _My point is," Haley starts off, "-is that I would have nightmares every night; I was miserable. Eventually I talked about them with Aaron. Then, you came along." Haley had a broken into a wide smile, which made Emily do the same. "-and that's when I knew everything would be okay. I love being a mother."_

 _"Now do you wanna tell me about your nightmares? I mean, you were screaming loudly in your sleep."_

 _"That normally doesn't happen."_

 _"I know, that's why I"m concerned." That's when Emily explained her nightmares, in vivid detail._

It sucked. One of the things that bothered Haley the most about being a foster parent was hearing the sad stories. Kids being so traumatized by events that can describe every little thing so perfectly. Times like this made Haley wish that the kids didn't have such keen eyes for detail, it would've been better that way. It would have been _easier._ There would be less pain.

JJ's nightmares happened frequently, with her abusive alcoholic father one day coming back to strike her down. Emily would hug her and hold her like a big sister would until she'd cry herself to sleep.

 _"I get to the part where he's growling," JJ had fearfully said to Emily, "His breath smells bad, like what he drinks..."_

 _"Think about it like this," Emily said softly, "He's gone now, he can't hurt you anymore." JJ shakes her head and buries it in Emily's chest._

 _"He can hurt me in my dreams," JJ says back, muffled. "He's always found a way to get to me there." Emily began to stroke JJ's hair,_

 _"Well...Haley and Hotch don't hurt us, and I trust them. The way your dad was...it was sick."_

 _"It hurts. Touches that aren't hugs hurt."_

 _"Touches?" Emily asked, she let go of JJ, looking absolutely horrified, "What do you mean by that?" JJ looked down at the floor in shame, the tears going farther down her cheeks. Emily lifted JJ's chin up slightly so the younger girl could look at her in the eyes, "JJ, what do you mean by touches? Did he...touch you in bad places?" To Emily's horror, JJ had nodded with confirmation. Emily took a breath, thankfully it wasn't caught between her teeth,_

 _"...Where?"_

 _"What I use to use the bathroom," JJ answered, "It's a private area..."_

 _"Anywhere else?" JJ now put a hand to her own chest, "Here too. Please don't tell Hotch and Haley! For now, please don't!"_

 _Fuck._

 _Damn it._

 _What can she do?_

 _"Did your dad ever..." She didn't want to say the word, she didn't want to ask, but she had to, "JJ, did your dad ever rape you?"_

 _Silence._

 _..._

 _..._

 _...Shit._

 _"Oh, JJ..." Emily said, shaking her head in sadness._

 _The word 'Rape' should never have been apart of JJ's vocabulary. Time and time again, Emily as well as Hotch and Haley, would say that JJ was only seven._

 _Emily couldn't not tell Hotch and Haley, couldn't she? Wait, maybe they already knew. The thirteen year old was conflicted on what to do. Deciding to give her the benefit of the doubt, Emily hugged JJ tight and said, "I won't say anything."_

 _Little did Emily know that was a huge mistake._

Spencer had night terrors a lot. That could be seen as an understatement, comparing on someone's views on how often nightmares should occur. Haley and Hotch thought it was an understatement. Spencer's nightmares plagued the entire house with screams of horror, cries, and the sounds of him thrashing wildly on his bed.

Haley had run into his room like she'd usually do when Spencer would have a nightmare. Hotch would usually follow right behind her.

"Sweetie, it's Haley—"

"I-I want my mommy! I want her _back!"_ Spencer wailed in his sleep. Haley reached over to him and wrapped her arms around his small frame, "I'm so sorry baby..."

" _I_ _WANT HER BACK!"_ Spencer screamed louder, trying to break free out of Haley's strong hold. Haley wouldn't budge, she never felt this horrible in her life. Hotch had watched from behind, possibly even more stunned than his wife.

How was she supposed to explain to a four year old about mental illness? Let alone a smart four year old with Asperger's? This was going to be so hard for her, as well as for him. Spencer was a smart kid, but that was the main point; he was still a kid. He was barely out of toddler hood. He wanted his mother, his _real_ mother. He didn't want to be in a room filled with strangers. Where was his father? Why couldn't he take him in? What kind of parent doesn't want their own child? The thought of that made Haley's heart break into many bits and pieces.

She thought about Emily's past foster parents, who had been given a job and failed miserably. She was mistreated and lacked trust in adults.

She thought about JJ's biological parents, who were abusive and treated JJ worse than that of a dog. Rosaline was more of a parent to her, but she _killed_ herself.

Now, she was thinking about little Spencer's parents. One was his mother, a paranoid schizophrenic who wouldn't remember to eat unless she was medicated. Although Spencer claimed he loved his mother more than anything in the world, including books, she wasn't fit to take care of him. How the _fuck_ was Haley supposed to explain that? How was she supposed to explain that his mother was locked away from the rest of the world, mentally unstable? Next was his father, a lawyer for gods' sake, that didn't even want him. It was because of fear. Was it because he was autistic, Haley knew that without a doubt, and it made her skin crawl.

How...how was she going to explain that his father didn't even want him? How would Spencer be able to process that in his mind? Foster children who had been abandoned by their parents often ask one question that consisted of one word;

 _Why?_

 _Why did my parents leave me? Why didn't they keep me?_

She didn't want Spencer to ask these questions for the rest of his life. A four year old, let alone any child, should not be asking those kinds of questions.

"WHERE IS MY MOM!?" Spencer cried out again. Haley sighed, this was going to be a bitch to explain. Times like this made her seriously wonder her ability to be a parent. Those foster parenting books she read did not teach her how to coax a 13 year old girl to help her stop obsessing over her parent's death in vivid and gore detail. Those books did not teach her how to stop a 7 year old girl from screaming after someone calls her by her full name. Proven by now, those books did not teach her how to explain to a toddler about his mother's delusions of the world.

Fuck the books, she had no choice but to wing it.

"She's in an institution, do you know what that is?" Spencer stopped crying and looked up to her, blinking slightly,

"It's a society or organization founded for specific purposes," he replied, sounding like a textbook. Haley smiled sadly and nodded, beginning to run her fingers through his messy hair. He had tensed for only a second, before he relaxed into the soothing motion, "That's right."

"W-w-why?" _Why._ That word had popped up already; and it only made this conversation even harder to explain. She had to do it though, it wouldn't be fair to him. She didn't want him to ask him this question his entire life of WHERE his mother was. Haley, however, knew for sure that he'd never stop asking about his father.

"Does your mommy ever act a little weird sometimes?" Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, as his face grew very dark in a matter of seconds. He pulled away from her, her hand no longer massaging his head,

"Mommy's not _weird,_ " he snapped, "She's peculiar." Haley moved a little back and said sincerely,

"I'm sorry if I offended you," Haley realized that the only way to do this was to speak to him on his level, "What I meant to say was...Does mommy have bad days? Where she does things she's not supposed to do?"

"She's a good mom!" Spencer roared angrily, "She reads me books, she tells stories, she's a literature professor!"

" _Was,"_ Haley interjected softly, "Did you know that your mommy takes medication or is supposed to?" Spencer nodded knowingly,

"Yeah...doctors say she's sick. She lays in bed all day. I don't understand it but..." Spencer drew his knees to his chest, "It keeps the bad things away."

Haley was reeled in, "What kind of bad things?"

"The screams and hits," Spencer muttered brokenly, about to burst into tears once more, "But she's a good mommy when she takes it! But I _hate_ that she has to take something to feel better!"

"Do you know why she takes it?"

"Yes! Because she's sick!"

"Do you know what _kind_ of sick?" That stop Spencer completely, his face went from really angry to really confused. Because he was confused, he went back to being angry, which showed all over his face again. Once again, he hated not knowing things. Nonetheless, he was curious, so he shook his head no.

"Your mommy has something called a mental illness," Haley explained quietly, reaching her hand to stroke Spencer's hair once more. This time, he didn't stiffen.

"A what?"

"It's when your mommy does the bad things. The screams, the hits, the crying, that's all in her mind. She's seeing things that she's not supposed to see, and she's hearing things she's not supposed to hear."

"L-Like when she says she's being poisoned? Or-or—"

"Yes," she interrupted again, still with her calm demeanor, "Her mind is telling her that. But now, she's getting help." Spencer looked disaapointed,

"So I didn't do well enough..."

"No, no, no, honey...you did _wonderful._ You did everything you could to help her. There's only so much a kid like yourself could do. So now you understand?"

"I-I think so. Will I ever see her again?"

"Someday you will," this answer prompts Spencer to latch onto Haley as she hummed the same melody she'd always hum to him. At first his facial expression is blank and expressionless, it later turns into sleepiness and drowsiness as the four year old drifted off to sleep without dreaming.

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 **A while back, I recieved an anonymous review on whether JJ was sexually abused. I didn't want to answer that question personally, so that was another reason why I made this chapter. To whoever that reviewer was, I hope this answers your question.**


	12. Touches That Aren't Hugs Hurt

A/N: Hi angelfaces! Yes, I know my updating schedule has been out of whack as of recent. I've been really busy. I promise you that during June I'll update a lot more. This'll be a pretty long story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds. If I did, it'd be called The Spencer Reid Show, since he's my lil tootsie roll.

Warning: **Chapter is rated M due to graphic rape scene.**

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When Spencer expressed his wishes to go to school, Haley and Hotch weren't surprised in the slightest. The boy had a desire to learn, but the issue was not his academic skills, but where he would be placed.

As intelligent as Spencer was, he was still classified as a special needs child. Children with autism or any other learning disabilities are usually placed with IEPs. Yes, Spencer was tested. He had a measured IQ that was near 190, but it was settled at 187. Haley and Hotch were told by a professional that Spencer would get bored easily if he didn't skip grades. However, because he was autistic, he needed certain benefits in order to adapt socially.

A gifted school or a special needs school? Would he be able to go to a gifted school even with special needs? Haley didn't see why not. Spencer's mind should be expanding, and it would expand at an accelerating speed. A gifted school would help him.

"Haley," Hotch started off with doubt in his voice, "What if they don't accept him because of his autism?"

"Then we'll sue," she replied in a low dangerous voice.

 _Ah, the maternal feelings were kicking in._

While Hotch was helping Haley find a school for Spencer, the foster father had noticed something was...off. It wasn't Spencer, nor was it Emily. He had referred to her as his middle child, JJ.

His child.

JJ had been having nightmares, but they had gotten louder as of recent. It had gotten so bad to the point that Emily couldn't hug her without JJ screaming. This was unusual, especially since JJ thought of Emily as a sister already. JJ had become more quiet, withdrawn, much like when she'd first came here.

"JJ," Hotch inquired softly, but she hadn't either heard him or maybe she paid him no mind. Or, her mind was drifting somewhere else, in another world. Hotch assumed it was the last one, "JJ," he repeated again, except with much more force. JJ's head snapped in Hotch's direction, all of a sudden looking very alert and attentive.

"Yes?"

"You alright?" What a stupid question, of course she wasn't alright. However, he got a slow nod, a slow _unsure_ nod. Hotch didn't like the sight of that at all. He decided to let it go, for now at least. He watched as the little girl went back to staring into space. Emily had noticed Hotch's look of concern, and walked over to him and whispered in his ear, "She hasn't spoken to me either. I was going to ask you what to do. But-" She now looks over to Haley, "You guys have Spencer to worry about." She looked down at the floor, "I mean...he's autistic and all..."

 _Wait, what?!_

"How did you know?" The teenager smiled sheepishly, it almost looked very sad, "You forget that I was in many foster homes before. There were a few autistic kids in the homes I was in. They behaved exactly like Spencer did," Emily explained, "Plus, you guys were super secretive...like you didn't want us to know. It doesn't mean anything to me. When he isn't upset about something, he's a total sweetheart." Hotch opened his mouth to interject, but was cut off, "Don't worry, I won't tell JJ." She ensured. "My point is...he has special needs. You won't have much time for us anymore."

Oh. Was that what Emily was worried about? Sure, Haley and Hotch were inexperienced with the autism spectrum, but they would learn.

"Don't think like that," Hotch said gently, still trying to figure out how to approach this pep talk smoothly, "Yes, Spencer is autistic. He needs to learn certain skills and have goals. Just because Spencer has entered our lives, it doesn't mean we completely ignore everyone else, then it wouldn't be very family-like, now would it?" Emily appeared to look deep in thought, until she settled in with saying,

"You're right. I'm...worried about JJ. She's kinda like my little sister now, I guess. Big sisters look out for little sisters, right?" Hotch tried not to smile; the two were already growing on each other. Although a bit fast, it was better than the two being at each other's throats.

"Yes, they do. But you have to remember that you're a kid yourself," continued Hotch, "Sometimes kids can't handle certain things, and an adult has to step in." This time, he eyed her with seriousness, "Emily, JJ hasn't told you anything serious, has she? Or anything we should know about?" The teen's eyebrows shot up, she clearly didn't expect that question, and was taken by surprise. She glanced at JJ from afar, only for a moment, just to see her staring off into space. Emily looked back at Hotch, only to see him waiting for her answer. She quickly covered her tracks,

"No...not that I know of," she says, lying through her teeth.

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Haley and Hotch were watching Spencer play with toy blocks, lining them up in a specific order. Haley was smiling when Spencer was explaining to her in exceptional detail about why the blocks were ordered that way. Hotch would've smiled, but he was too deep in thought.

"...I don't like this, Haley." Haley stopped her conversation with Spencer and faced her husband with confusion and didn't say anything, completely baffled.

"I was just lining up blocks..." Spencer said sadly, looking down at the floor in shame. He assumed Hotch was talking about him, and apparently his wife thought so as well, as she leveled a menacing glare at him. Hotch quickly reassured Spencer,

"No no no, Spencer. I wasn't talking about your blocks. It looks...very nice, actually. I was talking about something else." That was all Spencer needed to hear, as he went back rearranging them a different way. Haley grabbed the sleeve of her husband's shirt and dragged him away from Spencer from a small distance, still able to keep an eye on him,

"What are you talking about?"

"Have we been too naive as of recent?" Haley was confused with Hotch firing back with another question. Sensing her confusion, he continued, "I...I'm talking about the girls. Our girls. Something's wrong with JJ, something is weighing a heavy burden on her mind, and Emily knows what it is. She just won't say anything. It's eating her alive, I can tell."

"We can't just barge in on them and demand to know what's going on," Haley reminded him, "But we can tell them that we're here for them, no matter what." Hotch sighed, he really hoped that they could actually barge in,

"Okay."

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The bear was coming, and JJ couldn't escape.

JJ twisted and turned in her sleep. She was gasping loud for breaths, mumbling incoherently, kicking the bed forcefully. Whether Emily was awake or not, JJ didn't know, nor did she care. Her dream - nightmare was more like it - was so intense, that she was going to relive through it. _Again_.

0-0-0-0-0

 _JJ referred to her father as a bear. Large, intimidating, and powerful. It wasn't always the blows to her head that hurt the most, or even the bottles that he'd throw. It was what was considered sicker than taking a beating. It's when her father claimed that she was being especially naughty._

 _"Jennifer, if you're being a naughty girl...then I'll treat you like one."_

 _That sentence alone, sent shivers down her spine. He'd drop his pants, and he'd make her do the same. Ashamed and frightened, she can feel herself panicking already._

 _And that's when JJ learned..._

 _...Touches that weren't hugs hurt._

 _He grabbed JJ roughly by the shoulders, slamming his large body into her small frame. Over and over, he kept repeating her name, "Jennifer...Jennifer..." His thick, meaty hands were running through her hair, grinning as he smashed his lips against her roughly. Her cries were muffled, preventing her from making any sort of noise._

 _"...Stop," JJ managed to whimper out, with her face soaked with tears. In retaliation, he slapped her across the face,_

 _"You like it," he spat, as he began to grab her breasts that weren't even developed yet._ _He was rough, he was always rough. He enjoyed it, he wanted to make her believe she deserved it._

 _"Stop! Please! No! Daddy, you're hurting me!" JJ kept pleading over and over, but her efforts failed. She just couldn't fight him off. He began to kiss her neck now, being even more forceful. He pushed her down on the floor, and then quickly took something from the pocket of his pants that were on the floor._

 _It was a condom, "Jennifer..."_

 _JJ let out a scream._


	13. You're Safe Here

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is about criminal profilers. I know nothing of the sort, only learning from what was said. Therefore, I don't own the show.

Hi guys, so here's another chapter for you. I hope you enjoy!

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"JJ! Wake up! It's just Haley!"

"I told you that we should've—"

"Not now, Aaron! She's in a nightmare!"

All they know was that the two were sleeping soundly prior, and that they were woken up by an ear shattering noise. They had become familiar with this noise, which was associated with JJ's screaming.

"STOP!" JJ yelled. She clearly hasn't woken up yet, as she was still flinging her arms in fright. Emily just stayed back, her eyes wide, and never leaving JJ's figure. She let Hotch and Haley handle this, the thirteen year old couldn't.

Hotch knew something like this was going to happen. He fucking _called_ something major like this happening. Does anyone listen? Nope. Oh well, that doesn't matter right now. He took no pleasure in seeing his family in pain.

"JJ, sweetie, come back to us..." Haley consoled softly. All of a sudden, JJ's eyes snapped open. However she'd flung out of bed and began to push and throw things out of the room. She was awake, but she wasn't awake. At this time, Spencer chose to come in, extremely confused. Emily knew what she was about to be asked, so she ushered the toddler to another room. He was muttering a bunch of questions, but she just shushed him and that seemed to work.

"JJ..." Haley addressed her several times, but she didn't react. Sadly, Haley wasn't surprised. JJ wasn't mentally there, and she continued to try to break things all around her. Still, Haley had to be careful. One wrong move, and she'd drive her foster daughter further away.

Hotch sighed in frustration, screw what Haley said, he had to find Emily and find out what's been happening with JJ. He flew out of the room, leaving his wife holding a crying JJ.

Unfazed, Haley continued to comfort her younger foster daughter. It was frightening, to say the least. As much as Haley wanted to know what was causing her to act this way, she needed to calm the seven year old. She assumed that her husband went to ask Emily questions. She really really was hoping it wouldn't come to that. Through hushes and reassurances, JJ slowly began to come back into reality. Exhausted, she slumped against Haley's chest. Her tears still were falling, which wet Haley's shirt, not that the latter seemed to mind. She held JJ tight, finally glad that JJ was hugging her back.

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"You're going to tell me what the hell is going on right now," Hotch said, glaring at Emily to show he wasn't playing any games. He made sure that Spencer couldn't eavesdrop on their conversation. He wasn't unsupervised, still in the eye distance of Hotch and Emily. Besides, he was too busy being interested and fascinated with his blocks to care.

"Huh?"

"Emily," he repeated, this time more forcefully.

"I don't...I don't know what you're talking about," Emily said uncertainly, avoiding his gaze.

"Emily, you know something. Something that has to do with her nightmares. It's something we should know about." Hotch said sternly.

"It's...she told me not to!" Emily fought back, trying to sound confident. This only made Hotch even more concerned, and even more likely to press her for information.

"Emily...please. This could help JJ. Whatever she's struggling with, we can handle. And I know you're scared, and I know it's bothering you too." Hotch said gently. The moment he mentioned that Emily was scared, she immediately started crying, "It's...it's real bad."

"We can handle it, it's okay." Hotch consoled. Yes, he knew that his foster children came from rough places, but he assumed that he had definitely had seen the worst by now. It couldn't possibly get any worse than this, it seemed. Perhaps he was trying to be overly confident, shadowing his judgment. Emily took in a breath, now looking Hotch straight in the eye,

"JJ was raped by her father."

Hotch _froze_.

"I'm sorry, what?" He tried to deny it, hoping he didn't hear it right.

"JJ was rap—"

"No, no...I heard you." Hotch interrupted.

Yep, he was overly confident. He couldn't have been more wrong.

Of all things; _all things_. It had to be this. He was an idiot; if JJ was abused, it could've meant she was also sexually abused.

Well shit.

Hotch was a lawyer. Therefore, he knew other lawyers to sue against that bastard to make him suffer even more. He wouldn't be able to take her case, even if he wanted to. His eyes went wide at an unusual sight, his hands were shaking. He was the calm one, he was the rational one. Not now, all he felt was rage. His eyes saw red after Emily said those words.

He couldn't even speak. He left Emily alone there, getting quickly to Haley. He saw her just how he expected to see her, holding JJ and comforting her like a mother would.

"JJ, would you like to see Emily?" Hesitantly, JJ nodded, getting herself out of Haley's arms to find her foster sister. _God fucking damn it_ was what Hotch wanted to yell after JJ was out of sight. He was almost positive that they would've heard him, and that was the only thing keeping him from doing that. He can't show anger in front of them, only compassion.

"Aaron, what did Emily tell you?" Haley asks lowly, once JJ was out of earshot.

"I almost don't want to tell you," Hotch said softly, shaking his head. Haley let out an exhausted sigh,

"That bad?"

"Terrible."

0-0-0-0-0

"You told him, didn't you?" JJ asked Emily, almost sounding heartbroken. The teenager couldn't even look JJ in the eyes, which said it all. "Why?"

"I had too," Emily answered, sounding so ashamed, "Believe me, I didn't want to. I truly didn't. But you're still a kid and—"

"And you're _not_?" JJ spat angrily, her expression completely changed, "You're older than me, but not by much."

"You were hurt, JJ," Emily snapped back, which made the little girl wince, "Hotch was pestering me, and he told me that it would help you. Your nightmares are bad, JJ. You scream and scream, you never stop. I'm scared for you, I don't like it when you're scared."

JJ's eyes were now facing the floor, "I guess."

"You didn't even know who I was. You didn't know who anyone was." JJ's anger was slowly fading, now showing sadness.

"I know," JJ said, letting a few tears slip out, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, because now you're safe." This hadn't come from Emily, it was a smaller voice, belonging to the newest member of the foster family, Spencer. JJ let out a little giggle, and Emily couldn't hide the small smile the graced her features. Yes, they were so grateful for their new little brother.

0-0-0-0-0

" _Rape_?" Haley said, the word sounding disgusting and despicable, which it was. Hotch grimaced visibly and nodded. Haley just shook her head in despair, it seemed like none of their kids could catch a break. Angry and upset, she hugged her husband tight. Hotch hugged back, not surprised at all at Haley's emotional reaction. Sometimes life just sucked. It was horrible enough that JJ was getting physically and no doubt emotionally and verbally abused, but to add sexual abuse? That was more than enough pain to endure than an average person had to in their lifetime

"Aaron?" She said, her tone furious. He had let go of her to look at her clearly. Her face looked the way she sounded.

"I know," he said, knowing what was on her mind.

"She's _fucking_ seven," Hotch was taken aback by her swearing. Sure, he's known her since high school and they'd swear every now and then, but they're adults now. Even then, Haley would never swear with such venom. He didn't expect her to swear now. Yes, she was angry, but the F-Word almost never escaped from her lips.

It _hurt._ Hotch understood that much. Time and time again, the couple was amazed with how _fucked_ up the world could be. They were amazed with how devastating their kids' childhoods were. They thought of Kate, who sees this shit _every day._ The two had only seen a _glimpse_ of what monstrosity was in society based on Kate's sad tales. This was real. This was happening. They knew that they were buckling down for the long haul. Because they loved their foster kids, there was no going back. Hotch had then realized there's only so much a parent could do, and that's exactly what he says to his wife.

"There's only so much we could do," Hotch said to her softly, running his fingers through her hair, "There's only so much help we could give her." Haley instantly pulled away from him quickly, distancing herself,

"The hell do you mean!?" Haley snapped defensively, making Hotch look at her with surprise as she continued, "We're not giving them back to that _shitty system!_ I won't have it!" Hotch's eyes widened, he didn't know that Haley thought that it was what he was implying,

"No! That's not what I meant! I mean that we get her help," he says.

"Help? What do you mean?"

"Professional help. Actual help. Maybe a therapist. _Something,"_ Haley seemed to think about it for a moment, before nodding her head sadly,

"I'll go call Kate to see if she knows anything."


	14. Giddy

**Disclaimer: A 17-Year Old, a.k.a me, does not own a popular criminal psychology show, that is known by the title _Criminal Minds._**

0-0-0-0-0

JJ didn't know what the word _therapist_ meant or what it was, but because she trusted Hotch and Haley, she decided to go to one. When she had her first 'session', as they called it, she found out that she didn't dislike it. Sure, her therapist, who's name was Erin Strauss, asked a lot of questions about her personal life, but at least she got to draw. Drawing, to her, was an escape from the harsh realities.

" _How does that make you feel?_ "

Meh, she didn't care. That didn't mean she wasn't uncomfortable. She just told the truth, like Haley told her to. The more she talked, the more she'd be able to draw. JJ hoped that this was the case.

"Therapy will help," Hotch reminded his wife gently, she nodded, but she was still concerned. Haley still wanted to know, a mother always wanted to know. She didn't want to lose her motherly role to JJ's therapist. On top of that, Spencer worried her greatly.

Hotch and Haley went ahead and put Spencer in a gifted school for children. Since he was autistic, the school promised to accommodate his needs in any way that they could. Haley was very ecstatic about this, but something irked in the back of Hotch's mind about Spencer. He didn't know whether they made the right decision.

"Haley, you know I love you," Hotch said to her after Spencer ran off, "But I think I'm having some doubts." To his surprise, she snapped at him,

"Give the boy a chance," she says, "You saw the IQ test, didn't you?" Taken aback, Hotch replies,

"I know...but what if the other kids–"

"He'll be fine."

"But—"

"He'll be _fine._ "

"I'll be fine!" Spencer said loudly, his eyes gleaming with interest with the new pattern he made with his blocks. Hotch sighed and smiled, this kid did peek his interest, a bit.

0-0-0-0-0

When Emily first entered junior high while living with Hotch and Haley, she had wondered what the fuck algebra was. Now, she loves it. Math was always easy for her. Sure, she wasn't like her little brother who liked geometry and trigonometry problems, but she knew that she'd never struggle. She'd even help Tara out, who was the opposite. Tara _hated_ math.

"Hey Emily," said Tara, smirking while in class, "What do you think of Matthew Benton?" A shrug from the dark haired girl followed,

"I don't know...He's always with John."

"Oh, so you like John?" Emily was confused; she didn't like anyone. She was too busy trying to understand the new lesson her algebra teacher was showing on the board. She should've answered, because now Tara was on the verge of squealing, "My gosh! You do! Gosh, well...I hope that Matthew likes me, because I'm almost sure John likes you!"

 _Huh?_

"Maybe we should do like, a double date thing!" Tara suggests excitedly.

"Um, I don't know...I'm just looking for some friends, not dating and stuff like that–"

" _Pffft!_ No problem!" Tara interrupts, "We can ask if we could hangout with them after school today! It'll be fun!" Emily sighed, _what the hell. Why not?_

"Yeah, sure. I just have to text my parents, can I use your phone?"

"You refer to them as your parents?" Tara asks curiously, handing Emily's eyes went wide, realizing that she said that aloud. Did she really refer to them as her parents? Now she was more confused then ever. She didn't know whether this was good or bad. But because this had never occurred in previous foster homes, she decided to go with the fact that it's a good thing.

She just hoped nothing changed.

0-0-0-0-0

"He'll be _fine,_ you said," Hotch muttered, almost angrily to Haley. They had both gotten a call from the school that Spencer wasn't cooperating, and that he wouldn't stop yelling and rocking and crying. That he "scared the hell out of his classmates", as the teacher put it. Hotch then received a text from Emily through Tara's phone. He sighed again, texting 'ok'. He really needed to get her her own cell phone. Haley was trying to be quiet, but couldn't,

"I didn't...I didn't think–"

"I just hope he's alright."

They had both arrived in the classroom in the knick of time; they had both observed that all the other students have been moved. Spencer was in a corner, hands over his ears and rocking back and forth. Three other adults were hovering above him, Hotch only assumed one of them was the teacher.

"What happened?" Haley rushed forward to her foster son, gathering him in her arms and hushing him quietly. Eventually, the boy quieted down into a peaceful sleep. A woman that had been standing their motioned to a couch that was in the back of the room. Haley understood, carrying the boy and placing him on the couch to rest.

"He shouldn't be here," the man spat rudely, eyeing the child with disdain. Hotch glared at the man who said that so bluntly,

"And _you_ are?"

"I'm his _teacher_ ," the man spat back just as rudely as before, "Your _foster_ son couldn't answer a simple question! Too emotionally immature, he is."

Haley sighed, again, this was yet another possibility. Spencer was brilliant, no one was denying that. This kid had a higher IQ than Albert Einstein, and Einstein still had a handicap, he couldn't read until the age of nine. It was the same thing, Spencer had difficulties involving social skills and language. Would Spencer's intelligence outweigh his social ineptness? Or would it be vice versa? She didn't know.

"He has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism," Hotch tried to explain, almost seething, "Surely you knew about this." The teacher rolled his eyes and grumbled,

"You came to the wrong place. He can't learn like the others."

"Where's his para?" Haley asks. When she saw that no one was answering, she became bitter and impatient, "Spencer is supposed to have a para, why isn't the para here?!" She then went up to another man, which Hotch found out later was the principal, "You _promised_ his needs would be met! Did you just look at his IQ score and admit him to give your school a better name? He has a neurological disability! He has _needs!"_

"Well it's your fault for sending your freak of a kid–"

"Don't you _ever_ call him a freak!" Hotch snapped at the teacher, "Your school has a responsibility to ensure the needs of my kid! He requires a para professional, he _gets_ a para professional!"

"He wouldn't be able to learn in a regular school anyways, not even mentioning a prestigious school like this," the teacher said. Hotch's blood was boiling, and the veins were popping out of his next. He didn't understand why the principal wasn't saying anything as the wicked teacher kept speaking, "I honestly don't know what you were thinking. It's like teaching a vegetable, his _kind_ never listen, and they never will."

His _kind._ As of being autistic were a different species, it made Hotch sick, knowing how prejudice this man was. It made his hands curl up into fists, his jaw was now clenched. He was gritting his teeth together as a way of keeping himself of yelling into a stream of angry curses.

But the teacher now said something over the line of cruel. It was almost inaudible, but Hotch definitely heard it, and it was the last straw for him,

"Kid should be shot."

That was it. Hotch's fist collided with the teacher's face, which sent the man flying backward into a stack of books, which fell along with himself.

" _Aaron!"_ Haley held him back from throwing any more punches, he was in a _rage._ Haley's eyes were wide, Aaron would rarely get violent with an authority figure.

"That's my _son!_ " Aaron yelled at the teacher, "You don't ever pick on my son! Ever!"

"Mr. Hotchner," the principal started off, "You just assaulted one of my staff! I'm afraid I'm going to ask you and your wife and child to leave and never come back, or I will press charges."

Hotch thought this was ironic, _now_ the principal was saying something, "Fine. Our son is too _good_ enough for this school, anyways." He proceeded to wake up Spencer and the three of them went home. Other schools would _gladly_ accept him.

0-0-0-0-0

"So ladies, where are we headed?" John said with a wide grin. Emily grinned back, along with Tara and Matthew. She thought it was best not to mention to Hotch that she was also hanging out with two boys. Where they were going now, she didn't know. They had just gotten out of school, which the four of them were extremely thankful for.

"I think we should go by the park, then we can get food," Matthew says, seemingly had everything planned out. John was baffled, "Why not food and then the park?"

"Because we're going to be hungry _after_ we're in the park, dude." Matthew replies. John then caught on, and nodded. Emily was confused, but decided not to press them about it. Matthew and John were best friends, and probably had their own secret language, much like she and Tara did.

So they began their nice walk to their local park. Matthew stopped and looked around quickly, "I have a really good place that I like to sit. I call it the Cave." John followed him, so did Tara and Emily. They climbed over branches that fell from trees, they were going against the slope of the cave, using all the strength they had to get up to the top. When they had gotten to the top, Emily knew why Matthew called it the Cave. It was wide, and had small cushions on top of large tree branches to sit on. Although it was a large space, it was difficult to be seen by a passerby.

"This is nice, did you put the cushions there?" Emily asks Matthew, to which he answers,

"Nah, I just found it like this. I think it was abandoned...anyways–" He cut himself off to sit down and rummage through his bag. He then pulled out a glass mason jar, inside it was some weird green substance. Emily knew right away what it was when Matthew took it out, the smell taking over the area.

"Marijuana," Emily confirmed quietly, it wasn't exactly a question. She had seen older kids in past foster homes smoke it before when their foster parents were away or whether it was after school or cutting class under the bleachers. Emily had never tried it, even though someone's offered it to her before. Tara looked a bit surprised, but was doing her best to hide it. Matthew and John smirked,

"Weed," Matthew corrected, "You guys have never smoked it before?" Emily and Tara could only shake their heads, Matthew takes some of the substance and begins to crush it with his fingers, "One second, please." He gets a small papers and begins to gather the substance inside before he rolls it up. Once he does, he twists the end, to make sure it doesn't fall out. He does this in less than a minute. It made Emily a bit nervous, yet at the same time she was fascinated by the process. She watched as John got out a lighter and lit the end of the paper, which she later found out was a joint. Matthew inhaled and watched the tip light up. He exhaled, the smoke leaving his lips. He passed it to John, who repeats the same process. Before he could hand it over to Tara, Matthew stopped and asked the girls,

"Are you guys okay with this? You don't have to if you don't want to." Tara smiled and took the joint from John's hand,

"It's cool," she says. She tried repeating the motion John and Matthew did so easily, but she ended up bursting into a coughing fit. This made the two boys chuckle and say simultaneously, "The first hit is always the hardest." Tara then smiled lazily, handing the joint over to Emily.

She just stared at it for a while, and then stared back at her friends. Matthew spoke up, he must've sensed how nervous she was, "You okay? You don't have to take a hit. You want?" Emily would've said no. She really, really, _really_ would have said no, but she couldn't. For one, she really wanted to fit in. If Tara could do it, so could she. She couldn't back down. She brought the joint to her lips, and inhaled slowly. Once she exhaled, like Tara, she started coughing a lot. The drug entered her system, and once she grasped that, she felt...relaxed. There was no pressure, at all. They go in a circle once more, taking a few more hits.

They all felt pleasantly buzzed after time has passed. Emily found herself wondering why the hell she had rejected weed in the past. She didn't like it, she _loved_ it. She loved how giddy she felt, she loved the feeling of euphoria rushing through her body. Even though she felt giddy and excited, she felt a sense of relaxation as well. All the negative feelings she ever had simply went away.

"So guys," Matthew says, "This has been a lot of fun. You think we could make this a thing? Every Friday?"

"Hell yes," Emily answered confidently and loudly, before bursting into a fit of giggles.


	15. Runner

**Disclaimer: I, Sammie050301, do _not_ own the brilliant TV show known as Criminal Minds.**

 **I think it's time for a new character!**

0-0-0-0-0

"Spencer, sweetie, look at Ms. Kelly in the eyes," Haley said to her foster son, referring to his new para. She and Hotch decided the best way to help Spencer was to put him in the same public school as JJ. They felt as if they didn't have a choice, since a public school would be more likely to assist a child with autism in better ways. He'd still be in first grade and not preschool, but in a classroom with two teachers, as well as his para. Haley and Hotch were told this was called an ICT classroom. Right now, they were in one of the classrooms.

Ms. Kelly knelt down to reach Spencer's height,

"It's very nice to meet you, Spencer," she said kindly. Spencer met her eyes, but only before a second before he looked away. His eyes go down to the floor,

"I changed my mind, I won't like school," he says.

"I'm sure you will," Ms. Kelly said sweetly, "There's a lot of books you can read there. A little bird told me you loved reading books."

"Birds can't talk," replied Spencer in a monotonous voice, "But I am curious on how you know I like books. A bird can only chirp." Haley smiled and Spencer's literal behaviour, which was consistent with Asperger's. Ms. Kelly wasn't at all phased by his behavior, as she had seen it in other children that she's worked with.

"If you ever get scared, JJ is right across the hall from you," Haley mentions lightly, "She's here to protect you too." A little smile spread across Spencer's face,

"I guess so." Haley wanted to see a full smile, not a small one. She wanted him to feel safe and reassured. She wanted to prevent another meltdown, if she could.

"You guess so? You should _know_ so. JJ adores her little brother." That definitely got a smile out of a Spencer, as he gave Ms. Kelly direct eye contact,

"Can I read a book now?" Ms. Kelly's eyes sparkled, happy that the four year old was giving her his full attention, even if it was to ask for something. She happily complied and pointed to a shelf,

"Sure. Pick whatever you like." Spencer practically _ran_ in excitement to acquire a new book, a book that would expand his knowledge. Once out of earshot, Ms. Kelly spoke, "He's exceptionally bright. Although a lack of eye contact is definitely a trait of Asperger's, it's mostly because he's uncomfortable at the moment. Once he's in a position where he's comfortable, he'll give eye contact."

"We've been working on it," Haley said, smiling while watching Spencer's hand was skimming the pages in interest, "He has no problem giving his two sister's eye contact than when he first came here."

"Don't worry, you're doing everything right," Ms. Kelly says warmly, "Spencer will be just fine here."

0-0-0-0-0

Originally, it was supposed to be every Friday at the Cave. Three weeks have passed, and it didn't stay that way at all.

It started when Emily had gotten a cell phone, which was coincidentally a day after she'd gotten high for the first time. Emily squealed in delight, despite Haley and Hotch saying that it was for emergencies only. Hotch said to Haley that he was tired of getting calls and texts from a random number, even if it was Tara's, it still wasn't Emily's phone. That day she registered Tara's number, who in return gave her Matthew's number as well as John's.

Matthew had added Emily into some group chat with Tara and John, saying that his dealer gave him an eighth of weed for a discount price. When Emily how much weed an eighth of weed was, Matthew texted, 'A lot'.

He said he wanted to smoke it after school on Monday right away. Emily was reluctant at first, because she knew she had to tread carefully from now on. But she remembered that euphoric feeling as well as how tingly she felt throughout her body when the drug took over her system. She just couldn't say no. She didn't want to feel that feeling only once. This time, Matthew said he was going to teach her how to use a lighter to light the joint by herself. By the end of the day, she was an expert.

So Monday and Friday was fine. Twice a week wouldn't hurt, would it? But then Matthew bought more, and more people began to join the circle, therefore people supplied more and more. Emily didn't mind at all, in fact, she liked it. She felt a sense of community, that she belonged. There was a girl named Candace, who was called Candy. It sounded like a stripper name, but Candy later said that was the point. Another girl was named Sophie, and called cigarettes cancer sticks. There was a boy who went by Ace because of his speed. Emily had yet to know the name of the other two boys in their circle. Matthew handed a small bottle to Emily one day, she looked at it curiously and then to Matthew,

"Eyedrops," he explained, "Gets rid of the redness."

Later this became every other day. Hotch had voiced his concerns that his daughter was going out every other day after school to hangout. Haley reassured him that when she was a teenager that she hung out all the time after school.

Today however, took the cake. Matthew said he was going to show how to make a pipe out of an apple. Emily watched, like she always did. Truthfully, she hoped the process didn't take long, she really needed–sorry, _wanted_ – a hit. It was weird, yet so exciting, to press an apple to her lips, _and not eat it._ There was a small hole in the middle of the apple, where to inhale. She wasn't coughing anymore, she let the smoke out with ease.

0-0-0-0-0

Derek Morgan wasn't some _kid._ He was ten years old. To him, he was a _man._ He could take care of himself, and he didn't care what anybody thought. After all, he'd been on his own before. If people gave up on him, that's fine. It's what everyone has always done. His parents gave him up, his teachers gave up, multiple foster families did. He'd continued to do what he'd always do; _run._

Call him a coward, but to him running away was easier than dealing with things head on. He didn't have time for that nonsense. So yes, Derek Morgan was a runner. He'd run away from homes so many times that he and the officers know each other on a first-name basis. Eventually, he'd be found. The cops would bring him back to the foster home he was at all the time. Usually if the situation persists, the foster families give up and send him away to be some other family's _burden,_ as they put it.

 _Whatever._ Derek had thought, as he climbed over his foster family's fence to escape. School was overrated anyways. He pretended to leave the house and waited for his foster father and mother to leave for work. That's when he'd make his escape. He'd grab the clothes he had and stuffed them in a bag, and then he'd _run._

It didn't matter where he was going. He wanted to get away as far as he could, and for how long. The longest Derek had ever been missing was for two days, the shortest had been ten minutes. Of course he's improved over the years. The ten minute duration was from when he first started running away, he was _four._ The two day duration was last year, when something very personal had happened to him. He wouldn't say what it was, because no one would believe him, anyways. Everyone knew the kid was troubled, but no one said anything.

 _"Pass him on to the next one."_

Derek gritted his teeth, he wasn't some fucking children's toy that was waiting to be passed into a younger child, he was a human being. So to hell with the family he's with now, they don't want some black tween, nobody did. That's exactly what his last family said, when they turned him away. They said it loud and clear, like they were proud of being racist,

 _"We don't take colored boys."_

Like Derek always thought; _whatever._

He found a bus station and hopped on the first one he saw in the back of it. If he got caught, then he got caught. If he was moved to another home, people should've expected that he wasn't going to stay there. He was almost positive that in his file it stated that he was a runner, a term used for runaways. Did foster families do anything? No. Because they didn't care, it's a case of kids for cash. In other words, it was all about the money.

It wasn't even about getting love to be paid. For Derek, it was being tolerated. Hell, he had a family for two weeks that called him an 'it'. Sometimes it would be 'the boy'. He had an older racist foster brother that insisted on calling him a _slave._

Sure, he knew that if he was white he'd be treated better.

0-0-0-0-0

"Now Spencer, look at the chart," Hotch coached gently, showing him a facial expressions chart, "What does this one mean?" He pointed to a face that was frowning, Spencer looked up, but it was very brief,

"He seems to be contemplating something that makes him uncomfortable," he says with verbosity. Hotch sighed, it wasn't supposed to be this complicated. Spencer was just over thinking it, and while it showed he was highly intelligent, it's better if he went for a much simpler solution. Dinner was going to be ready soon, and Emily had yet to be home. JJ had noticed her little brother was struggling, so she went over to Spencer, "May I try?" She asks Hotch,

"Knock yourself out," he replies, getting up to see Haley in the kitchen.

"But if JJ knocks herself out she can get seriously injured!" Spencer said worriedly with wide, frightened eyes. JJ shook her head a smiled at her brother,

"It's just a saying, silly. It's another way of saying to have fun!" Spencer still looked worried, but appeared to relax his body a little, "Oh." She held up the facial expression chart to Spencer's eye level, "What does your face look like when you have a bad dream or when you're uncomfortable?" Spencer shrugs,

"I don't know. I never get a chance to look in the mirror."

"Remember when I had a nightmare?"

"Yeah, your face was like that," he points to the picture that Hotch was trying to show him earlier, "It was sad." JJ nods and praised him,

"That's what it is," she says, "This face means you're sad, remember when I was sad, and then Emily took you upstairs?"

"I didn't want to leave," Spencer says, "I wanted to know what was wrong."

"Yeah, that's it," JJ concluded, "When others are sad, they need help. And when you see someone you love sad, you'll do anything to help them."

"Where is Emily? It's almost six," Hotch said to his wife, who was still making dinner, "You know, I hear about these new friends...don't you think it's suspicious?" Haley out her utensils down to face her husband with an annoyed glance,

"She's thirteen, Aaron."

"Yeah, that's my point. She's thirteen! She's at _that_ age!"

"How would you know?" Haley says, laughing at how overprotective her husband was getting, "You weren't a thirteen year old girl!" Hotch chuckled back and said,

"Ah, but I _was_ a thirteen year old boy! Lord knows what _they_ want." Haley wrapped her arms around Hotch's neck,

"Don't stress, she's fine," she says, standing on her tippy does to pack him on the cheek. Then, they both hear a sound of a door opening and then closing, they heard a voice they learned to recognize, "I'm home!" Hotch rushed out of the kitchen to meet her,

"You're home late," he states, "Dinner is almost ready." Emily puts her bag on the floor, and was greeted with a giant hug and squeal from JJ, "Emily!"

"I'm sorry," she says, hugging JJ while looking at Hotch, "I'll be home earlier, I promise." Something was off, but Hotch couldn't put his finger on it. Due to past events, he was right about these kinds of things.

"Yes...you will," Hotch says sternly, "Go set the table, please." Emily nodded and went inside the kitchen to help Haley, not that she minded. JJ trotted behind her, waiting to be acknowledged. Emily put on her best smile, "Hey, JJ. What's up?"

"I taught Spencer something!" She said gleefully, "I could be a teacher!" Emily ruffled her hair a bit as she got the forks and knives, "You can be whatever you want to be."

The house phone rang throughout the house, and JJ immediately ran to it excitedly, shouting, "I'll get it, I'll get it, I'll get it, I'll get–aww..." Hotch had reached the phone before she did, thanks to his long legs, "This is Aaron Hotchner." He waited for a bit, the line was silent for a second before he heard that _same_ voice,

"Hey Aaron, it's Kate!"

Ugh, as if things weren't hectic enough, "One second, I'll get Haley–" He covers part of the phone with his hand, "Haley, Kate's calling on our _house_ phone." Haley immediately rushed out of the kitchen, knowing what that meant. She with her gloves still on, "Kate? What's wrong?"

"An emergency placement," Kate says on the other line, "Derek Morgan. He's ten years old, and he's a runner. Can you–"

"Send him over," Haley interrupts without thinking twice, "There's always been room here, just explain everything when you arrive."


	16. Unsure

**Disclaimer: I. Don't. Own. Criminal.** **Minds** **...but it'd be really awesome and amazing if I did.**

0-0-0-0-0

"There's another kid, isn't there?" Emily said bluntly as she started doing her homework during dinner time.

"Emily, no homework at the table while we're eating..." Haley reminded her, "Books away, please."

"Well we technically aren't eating, the new kid interrupted our meal."

" _Emily,_ " Haley warned, "Yes, there's someone joining us. His name's Derek and he's ten. Please go easy on him, he's had a rough day." Hotch pulled Haley to the side,

"Derek is ten? Aren't you worried about...Emily? Or possibly JJ–"

"He'll sleep in Spencer's room," says Haley, seemingly not at all worried. Except that she was. She did cut Kate off when she told her about her new foster son. Was she being too rash about this? She didn't know. The first thing she thought about was that boy. A boy needed her help, and that's all she needed to hear...at first. She didn't know anything except that he was runner, which made her think of kids running away from home. Well that wasn't going to be the case. No kid was going to runaway from her home. She assumed it was because no one had really offered the boy comfort.

The house was filling up more and more. Hotch was getting a little concerned. He wasn't prejudiced or anything like that, but the boy is ten. He's right in the middle between JJ and Emily. He didn't know what to feel.

And then there was little Spencer. Hotch didn't even want to think about that terrible day of school that he had, it was so posh and proper. He remembered when Haley threatened to sue as a joke, but this time Hotch had meant it. He wanted that teacher to lose his job. Since he was a lawyer, he was almost positive he could make that happen with one phone call. Haley remembered that grueling conversation with the person in charge of the school district...

 _"One of the teachers_ _at Westview School for the Gifted just insulted my son! He claimed that and I quote that my kid, 'should be shot' because he's on the autism spectrum. Watch the people that you're hiring, because I'm a lawyer, and I have no problem pressing charges!" Haley didn't know whether to be proud or scared, since her husband was on a roll, and seemed to be very agitated as he got louder and louder, "The school promised to provide my son's needs!" He waited for a bit and said, "Yeah...I'll give you his name."_

 _"Aaron–"_

 _"Hold on, Haley," he says, as his attention is back on the phone, "The principal didn't do anything, he just let it happen..." All of a sudden, the color drained from Hotch's face, "...Yes, I may have...but that was defending my kid!" He tried to protest, "My son may have a disability, but that doesn't mean he's not smart, and some members of your staff don't seem to understand that. Check out his IQ, for God's sake..."_ _Another pause, before Hotch's face twisted with rage, "He is too my son! Foster son or biological, he's my son!"_

 _Then he slammed the phone down with frustration. He looks over at Haley, who had a shocked expression in her face. He gives her a false smile, trying to get over the incident, and says, "So what's for dinner?"_

 _Haley openly face palmed._

It sucked that because Hotch blamed himself that Spencer didn't get any justice. It sucked that prejudice was going to sprout all over the place when it came to Spencer. This was the first, and Hotch knew it certainly wasn't going be the last. This had been a sign that this was only the beginning.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he realized Derek was going to arrive soon, "Let's go outside," Hotch said to his family. JJ put her utensils down and compiled by trying to put her jacket on. After struggling for a good thirty seconds, Haley was helping her put it on. Emily looked annoyed more than she did before,

"Why?" Hotch didn't like Emily's tone, becoming more and more defiant.

"Because we waited for you It's nice to do the same for others," he answers curtly, frowning with disapproval. Emily raised a brow,

"Last time I checked, you _weren't._ You didn't even know I was coming. You were working." His frown deepens,

"Right...I guess after we finish meeting Derek, I know who's phone I'm confiscating today." Emily's eyes go wide, with no doubt, filled with anger,

"You wouldn't..."

"Did you know that twenty six percent of car accidents are due to cell phone usage?" She groaned and rolled her eyes, knowing who's small voice said that,

"Thank you Spencer for that _interesting fact._ " She growled sarcastically.

"You're welcome, Emily," Spencer says, missing the sarcasm entirely. He went back to staring at his plate with fixation and intense focus. Emily this time ignored him and stalked outside, along with JJ and Haley. Hotch got up from his chair and was about to leave, until he saw Spencer still staring at his plate. Hotch crouched down to reach his height, saying, "Ready to go outside?"

"Emily confused me."

"What do you mean, buddy?"

"She had a frownie face on the Facial Expressions Chart," Spencer explained, his brow still furrowed, "But...she said thank you. When people say thankful, they look thankful."

"You're right, kid," Hotch said, wondering the abrupt change, "Emily probably has something going on..."

"Can you tell her that she could use some help with the Facial Expressions Chart? She's not using it right. Maybe I can help her..." Hotch laughed.

"Sometimes people's faces don't match what they're _really_ feeling," he explained. Spencer crossed his arms, actually giving Hotch eye contact,

"Well I think that's unfair. I don't understand, she's not following the rules..."

"People are funny," Hotch says, clearing his throat, "Let me get your coat."

0-0-0-0-0

 _Another rich white family,_ Derek thought, as the car pulled up to an extravagant estate. He scowled, feeling that he wasn't going to last five minutes in this house. They probably thought he was going to steal things anyway. Is that why that social worker bitch left him in this car to wait? To see if they'd _actually_ take care of him after they saw his skin color?

The family looked so _happy_ together. It made Derek sick inside; he already knew what they were thinking. This was a happy white family, and then some _colored_ boy fucks everything up. That's what happened in the past, this was the same scenario, except _richer_ and probably more arrogant.

"Derek, sweetie?" The social worker bitch asked so _sweetly_ , "Let's get you moved in with the Hotchner family."

"And we _both_ know how that's going to end up," he snapped, not pleased at all to be here, "I'd rather live somewhere else." Kate frowned at him. The truth was, she saw his face way too often than she should've, and it was really sad to keep moving him over and over again. That didn't mean she wasn't tough with him. Above all, boundaries was the most important. She couldn't let the kid step all over her.

"Oh, like back on the streets?" Kate retorted, "Don't think I don't remember that. You could've died."

"It was two days, almost three. I would've lived," he spat back. Kate narrowed her eyes and said,

"In that part of town? I don't think so."

"That's why I came _prepared._ "

"Derek how many times have I told you? What do you know about the world? You're just a ten year old boy–"

"Two digits, that means I'm a _man–_ "

"...Pardon me? Are you Derek?" The ten year old turned around with confusion to see a petite blonde woman eyeing him with...concern? Or was that curiosity? He didn't know, nor did he care, he didn't like it regardless. He faced her completely, his face vacant of any expression, "Yeah, that's me."

"My name's Haley," she started off kindly, as she begun to introduce the rest of her family, "This is my husband, Aaron." The tall stern looking man gave him a curt nod. Derek eyed him, looking very angry. He knew when someone didn't trust him, didn't _like_ him.

"We call him Hotch!" JJ said cheerily, which made Hotch's stern look melt away, breaking into a small smile. Derek's anger was no longer there, instead placed with curiosity. He assumed that this was the couple's biological children. Apparently that's not the case? Haley laughed at JJ's outburst,

"That was JJ, and this is Emily," his eyes go over to a tall girl with black hair and a small girl with blonde hair. Emily just gave him a wave, but JJ have him a big smile and said, "Hi! Nice to meet you!" She shook his hand with eagerness, which took the boy by surprise.

"And this," Haley said, guiding their youngest to step in front of Derek, "This is Spencer." Derek watched as Spencer's eyes continued to remain on his shoes. He assumed he was incredibly shy. For a little kid, he expected Spencer to be bouncing all over the walls. Haley crouched to his side,

"Can you say hi to Derek, sweetie?" Derek stepped in to save him from speaking up,

"That's alright," he leaned down to reach his height, trying to meet his eyes and said, "It was very nice to meet you." This time, Spencer did look up and met Derek's eyes. What he said, only made Derek further his conclusion about Spencer being a little odd, "Do you follow the Facial Expressions Chart?" Emily barely covered her laughter with a snort. She was met with a glare from Hotch. Derek furrowed his brows and said,

"I don't."

"You should," Spencer's eyes now went to the floor again, but he still spoke with ease, "It's very interesting."

0-0-0-0-0

This is _definitely_ not what he expected.

Derek sighed. They were actually not awful people. Haley had informed him that he was going to share a room with Spencer. He didn't care, he wasn't going to be staying for that long anyways. He was going to make his departure, soon and sneakily. He learned that each time he ran away, he was finding out how to get away with it more and more. He'll make the duration longer, even better than that two day one.

That Spencer kid was weird. Surprisingly, he irritated him the least out of the rest of them. Even though they weren't bad people, he still didn't like his first impressions of them. Emily seemed very cold, a very cold person that liked to go by her own rules. JJ, on the other hand, was on the other side of the spectrum. She was very eager, very excited, and way to happy. He couldn't help but wonder if she was hiding something dark. There's no way people are _that_ happy.

Aaron, or Hotch, as he was called, seemed like a man that could snap you like a twig if the smallest thing got on his nerves. His presence was very intimidating, but then again, that's how Derek wished to present himself. And Haley...He was unsure.

Derek couldn't trust anyone that he was unsure about.

He could trust no one.

He spent the rest of his day in his new bed, thinking of ways to escape.


	17. Derek's Escape

**Disclaimer: (sigh) I couldn't come up with anything creative as a disclaimer so...here, I don't own Criminal Minds.**

0-0-0-0-0

Derek woke up at approximately two o'clock in the morning on a Saturday. It was then he realized that he was placed in a new foster home... _again._ The Hotchner family, how could he forget? _Pffft, like that mattered now._ He remembered why he woke up so early in the first place; he had a job to do.

There was a window in his room. Mistake number one. Having a window in his room only made it easier for him to leave. He had figured out how to open it yesterday while he was thinking. He had his belongings, he had everything he needed in that small bag of his. He didn't even have to climb a fence or anything, this would probably be his easiest escape this far.

And if he was caught, then the Hotchner family could get rid of him and move him to another family. Fine by him, they didn't need a fuck up like him anyways. Every escape in different areas was always a new challenge for him, a way for him to get better. He wasn't good at anything anyways, other than this. He might as well be good at _something._

Everything was perfect, in his opinion. This was easy. This was really, _really_ easy. To Derek, it was almost too easy. It was as if something was up or something was about to go down. He tried shrugging it off, an opportunity like this should be treasured, since he thought he'd go through a lot more trouble to find a way to leave. He honestly thought that he'd have to stay here longer and endure the abuse that was probably going to happen. It always did. He carried his bag over his shoulder, prepared to jump out of the window and bolt at the speed of light–

"Hmmm?" Derek's head snapped to where that murmuring came from, which was from Spencer who had just woken up. _Damn._ He made too much noise that didn't go unnoticed, "Derek? Why are you jumping out of a window? It's cold outside...Can you close it please?" Derek never ever heard a toddler speak with such articulation. When he tried looking at Spencer, he should've realized that his wide innocent eyes remained everywhere but on him.

"I'm going somewhere," Derek said casually, he figured the kid wouldn't do anything drastic. He didn't want to do this, but he figured that Spencer had some disability. He remembered one kid from a foster home just like him. He felt a pang of guilt; taking advantage of the kid. But Spencer shook his head slowly,

"The rules of the house clearly state that we're in bed at specific times and that we rise at approximately 7:00 AM. I'm in bed by 8:30PM, JJ is in bed by 9:00AM, and Emily is in bed by 10:00PM, although she sometimes breaks the rules and goes to bed at 10:05PM, but we can keep that between us. Hotch told me something's going on with her, but I can never tell..."

 _Damn, that kid could talk up a storm._

"It is now 2:06AM, therefore it's too early to be awake." Derek had to think; how was he going to convince him that he was okay to leave? That this was totally acceptable? He was wrong, the Kid would say something.

"Well I'm no longer going to be in the house," Derek says, not completely lying. He even puts up a smile for good measure, "It's only for a little bit, you know. I wasn't going to stay here forever. That's what happens to kids like me." Spencer now looks at Derek, his eyes scanning his face. To Spencer, Derek looked like he was smiling, therefore he's happy. Happy is good. Happy is safe. In reality, it was a fake grin. Spencer rolls over on his side,

"You studied the Facial Expressions Chart," he says. Derek, who hasn't studied the chart he keeps blabbing about, just nodded,

"Y-Yeah. I-I did," he lied. Why was he stuttering? That had never happened before. He brushed it aside and quickly hoped out of the window with ease, now standing on the windowsill. He looked down, the fall wasn't going to be that harsh. He'd just have to perfect his landing, which he has. He'd jumped at far greater heights.

"Goodbye Derek, have a good day." Spencer said, remembering what Ms. Kelly told him about having good manners. Derek is almost positive Spencer didn't see him give the smallest of genuine smiles. At that moment, he almost didn't go. He lets his smile linger for a second before he says,

"See ya, kid." He jumps down and bolts with the speed of lightning.

0-0-0-0-0

"Good morning, Spencer," Haley says with a smile on her face, Spencer gives her a tiny nod, his eyes focused entirely on the plate of food. She had made pancakes for breakfast. JJ and Emily were already there, diving into their meals. They're friendly, giving him warm smiles.

"Hey Spence!" That was from JJ. _Spence?_

He sat down, not before he got a greeting from Hotch, "Hey Sport." This left Spencer even more confused than when JJ called him Spence,

"What kind of sport am I? I'm not very good at sports."

"It's a term of endearment, you know what endearment means right?"

"Mom, _no–Look!_ Now he's going explain–"

"It's a word or a phrase expressing love or affection," Spencer stated, ignoring Emily's protests. He looked even more confused now, even though he remembered that definition from a dictionary, "I don't get it."

"Don't worry, Spence!" JJ said with her cheerful demeanor.

 _Why does she keep calling me Spence?_

"Spencer, do you think you can go to your room to wake up Derek? I don't want his breakfast to get cold." Haley asked, already putting pancakes on another plate.

"Oh he left this morning," Spencer said casually, taking small bites of his pancake. Everyone stared at him with wide eyes, the entire room going intensely silent. Spencer didn't seem to notice, as he kept focusing on eating the pancakes that were already cut into small pieces for him. Haley didn't even blink,

"I'm sorry, say that again sweetie?" Spencer continued to eat his pancakes, as if he was too focused to do anything else, "Spencer," Haley repeats, which made Spencer put his fork down, he didn't look anywhere but down,

"Yes?"

"Did you just say that Derek left?"

"Uh-huh. Can I eat my pancakes now?"

"In a moment," Hotch said, trying to sound reassuring. Deep down inside, his heart was laced with panic, "How do you know this?"

"He told me." Haley bit her lip nervously and shut her eyes, where her frustration was visible and audible, she adds, "When did he tell you this? Spencer, _look at me–"_

"Haley," Hotch interrupted calmly, seeing that the boy was slightly uncomfortable. There had to be at least _one_ calm person in the room. He was pretty sure that Emily and JJ were silent out of pure shock. This time, Hotch repeats the question, but softer, "When did Derek tell you he was leaving?"

"Five hours, three minutes, and...eighteen seconds ago. He left at 2:07 AM." Spencer explained.

"He wasn't supposed to leave, you idiot," Emily snapped at her foster brother, "Why didn't you stop him!?"

" _Emily!"_ Haley shouted, surprising herself and her family, "Apologize to Spencer, right now!" Meanwhile, Spencer felt the tears well up in his eyes, as he brought his hands up to his ears in reaction,

"H-He was telling me th-that he was no longer g-going to be in the house! And-and he was _smiling!_ The Facial Expressions Chart said smiling is _good!_ I didn't kn-know!" Emily sighed and began to apologize,

"Sorry for calling you an idiot...Not your fault." She almost sounded _careless._ Haley would've yelled at her then and there, but she was more preoccupied with finding Derek. Spencer's hands were still clamped on his ears tightly, shaking his head. He started slowly rocking back and forth in his seat, another meltdown starting up, "But the _chart–_ He didn't _follow it!_ No one follows it! And I didn't even finish my pancakes!" Hotch knew Haley was too mad at Emily and worried about Derek, her emotions were probably a lot more swirled than his, as he was better at remaining calm. He hugged Spencer tightly, whispering shushing and soothing words to prevent a full-fledged meltdown. He knew that the 'Sh' noise was something he would focus on, and something that would always calm him down. His rocking ceased, and Hotch slowly brought Spencer's hands away from his ears.

Hotch was glad that Spencer didn't get to the worst part of his meltdowns, which included hitting others and himself.

"We need to call the authorities," Hotch said to Haley with seriousness. She nodded, dialing the number quickly and fleeing to another room, "Hi...I'd like to report a runaway...Derek Morgan..."

0-0-0-0-0

Three hours and twenty two minutes.

That's how long it took the police to find Derek. Right after that call, it took them three hours and twenty two minutes. He didn't look too happy to be brought back, that's for sure. He almost looked disappointed that he got caught so early. Hotch and Haley were waiting outside for him. Emily, JJ, and Spencer eagerly tried to watch the scene, but the couple shooed them to go inside and upstairs to their rooms, they watched from the windows. The two officers came up to the front of the house on both sides of Derek.

"Here he is, the legendary runner," Derek rolled his eyes at the stupid nickname, the officer was just trying to piss him off. The boy didn't even look them in the eyes, he already knew what was coming. _Pack your things and get out._ The same officer continued speaking, "If you want him out of your hair, I don't blame you."

"No, we're okay with him here. Thank you for bringing him home safely." Haley had said that, and it had taken the ten year old by surprise. Haley now stepped to the side and said, "Get inside, _now_." Derek visibly sighed; he knew it was too good to be true. When he stepped in, he saw three of their kids. Hotch immediately took note and said, "Kids, upstairs...Not you, Derek. You stay." The three of them ran upstairs to their rooms...allegedly. Haley knew that they were 'secretly' listening to them near the stairs.

"We were worried," Haley started off by saying, "When Spencer told us so nonchalantly that you had run away, we were _panicking._ "

"Stop lying!" Derek finally snapped, "You're just pretending! Everyone else pretends! I'm not falling for it anymore!" Derek was at a point where he just hated it. The lying, the pretending, the _kindness._

"You want to believe that we're lying," Hotch interjected, "That way it'd hurt you less, wouldn't it?"

"Shut up." But Hotch didn't,

"I saw that look on your face when you met Spencer, you liked him instantly. You felt guilty for leaving him."

"Shut _up!_ "

"So you had to lie your way out, like you're used to since you always run away."

" _Shut the fuck up!"_ Hotch raised brow, not unfazed,

"Swearing isn't going to get you anywhere–"

"Just send me away already!" He finally said, his tears were already threatening to fall. He was more angry than sad. His whole life, he was always angry. He didn't want to fall for this trick, he almost believed that it wasn't. They weren't going to fool him; he knew how his life was going to be here. He felt like it was going to suck, it _always_ did in the end. Haley had known that the boy was probably crying, as she saw a tear leave his eye, betraying him.

"We're not giving up on you, sweetheart."

Haley knelt in front of him and hugged him gently. Derek hugged back, not because he felt safe,

Because he knew he was doomed.


	18. Secrets in the Dark

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds.**

 **A little note here, I wanted to point out that for the sake of this story, fifth grade through eighth grade is considered middle school. I know some middle schools who go by that.**

 **HAPPY 100 REVIEWS! Thank you all, so so much for your continued support!**

0-0-0-0-0

For some reason, Derek didn't feel like running anymore. The aftermath of him running away never ended in him crying into some strange woman's arms, and he didn't want to go through that the next time he'd run away from here. So he would just have to wait to be moved.

This past week proved to be unusual. It was weird having a roommate like Spencer. He had some peculiarities that were way different from most foster kids he'd seen. He hated certain foods, and he hated certain textures, and would only wear specific clothing. He'd also burst into tears at anything that made him feel uneasy. Derek swear he saw the kid hit himself one time.

JJ was in the living room drawing in a coloring book, something the boy always saw her doing. But this time, he'd confront her about Spencer, "JJ?" JJ stopped coloring and flashed her eyes at him,

"I'm still mad at you," she said simply, making Derek's eyebrows go up. Last time he checked, this was the first time he ever really spoke to her,

"Why?"

"You made Spencer sad," JJ answered, "He-he really likes you, and Hotch and Haley were sad too, everyone was sad when you tried to leave," Derek pretended that her words didn't break his heart, as JJ went back to coloring since she assumed the conversation was over.

"I didn't mean to, it just happened," Derek said sadly, "I'm sorry." JJ thought about a minute before she smiled and said, "That's okay! Do you wanna color with me? It makes people feel better, well, except for my mom and dad..." Derek knew that their conversation wasn't supposed to be about this, but he was intrigued, "Why not your mom and dad?" JJ was now facing her body towards him, for now Derek could truly see the sadness in her eyes,

"They weren't very nice...Especially my dad." She pauses for a minute, contemplating something, "I feel like I can trust you...so my dad, he did not so nice things to me. Like, touch me. Hotch is planning on taking it to court, whatever that means..."

There it was. Derek was right, no one could be that happy, because he had tried to do the same thing where he'd be happy and cover it up. That quickly changed when he became more and more cold over the years.

"You're not the only one who's gone through it," Derek says softly, his eyes revealing vulnerability, "When I was younger, I–" he stopped himself from explaining any further, he just couldn't do it, he was getting off topic. He blinked and composed himself, "JJ, what's up with Spencer?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know why he gets upset and stuff? Why he acts so weird?"

"Spencer's not weird," JJ defended, but she understood what he could be referring to, "But I know what you mean...Spencer's just Spencer. I mean, that's just who he is, right?" Derek sighed, realizing that JJ was just some little kid and didn't understand. Maybe Emily would help her out. She was older, anyways. He figured she was in her room, she wasn't anywhere else in the house. Aaron was reading in the kitchen, Haley went out somewhere with Spencer, where it was, he didn't know. JJ was out here, and Emily was no where to be seen.

Without thinking or knocking on the door, Derek burst into Emily's room, completely without warning. The girl jumped up, startled and frightened. Derek wondered had scared her, until his eyes went towards her hands, which was holding what looked like to be a cigarette, but he knew better since the smell engrossed her whole room. Also, he had seen this way too often on the streets.

"Shut the door!" Emily snapped angrily, keeping her voice low but audible. Derek did what he was told, shutting the door behind him and watched as Emily tried to swat the smoke towards her window. She couldn't believe she got caught already, and by the new kid! But then, she had an idea. Figured he was unfazed, she made a bold move and tried handing him the joint, "Do you want a hit? Just keep your mouth _shut_." Derek backed away and denied it,

"No thanks, I'm not into that stuff." And he was telling the _truth_. He hoped he never got into that stuff. Emily was almost finished with it anyways, crumpling up the ends with her two fingers and throwing it out the window. She put eyedrops in her eyes and closed them for about five seconds,

"What do you want?" She asked after a while.

"You're shitfaced,"

"Am not! Why are you here?"

"It's about Spencer, what's up with him?" Emily frowned and said,

"Not my place to say, go away now." Now Derek was amused,

"You're giving _me_ orders, after I saw what you were doing? I don't think so, _tell me._ "

"Why do you care?"

"I'm just wondering."

"It's not like you'll stay here forever."

"I know."

"I'm not saying anything!"

"Well I guess I can tell Hotch that—"

" _No!_ " Emily nearly shouted, her eyes wide with anger, "Shut _up!_ "

"Tell me."

Emily heaved out a great sigh, she was beginning to hate being the oldest more and more each day, "Spencer's got this thing called Asperger's. It means he has trouble with social skills. It's a form of autism, what of it?" Derek shrugged and didn't think much of it, to be honest. He didn't even seem to mind, as he was about to turn around and exit...

"You better not hurt him!" Emily suddenly said, making Derek stop dead in his tracks. She really had the balls to say that about him. Sure, he didn't know Spencer as long as he did, but he knew that Emily had no right to say that. He turned around, letting Emily see his angry glare,

"I'm more worried about you hurting _him._ " Emily's mouth gaped open like a fish.

" _Excuse me?!"_ Suddenly, Derek felt a wave of protectiveness for the toddler and said,

"Oh yeah, don't think I don't know. Whenever Spencer does something wrong and you belittle him like he's _nothing_. I hear you talking to your stupid stoner friends at school about him–"

"And what friends do you have?" Emily countered back with a cruel smirk spread across her face. Derek couldn't believe it; no one could possibly be this catty,

"We're not talking about that," he snapped, "You talk about how weird he is, and how you're 'burdened' with an autistic brother. I'm no fucking angel, but that makes me sick."

"You've only been here for a week, you don't know _shit,_ " Emily spat at him, showing no remorse whatsoever. She didn't like the idea of some stupid ten year old telling her what to do or how to act. At home, she had rules. At school, she could do whatever the fuck she wanted. Why does this heat care? All Emily knew at that moment was she hoped this kid would leave as soon as possible. Derek glared at her before saying,

"Don't worry, I'll keep your little addiction a secret."

"I'm not addicted–"

"I saw you cut class to smoke under the school's bleachers, I'm not stupid. But don't worry," he now smirks, "I won't tell." With that, he slammed the door behind him with all of his might, leaving an angry and flustered Emily behind.

0-0-0-0-0

 **A/N : I know this was kind of short, but I promise the next chapter will be longer.**


	19. Sabotage

**Disclaimer: I don't own CM.**

 **Hi angels! since I've gotten a little over 100 reviews and over 10,000 hits, if you haven't noticed, I decided to make a new cover! In my head, I was debating on which child should be the face of the cover. Right now, I decided to pick JJ. As time goes by and if the story continues being successful as it is, I'll let you guys vote on who should be the face of _The Troubled Children's_ book cover.**

 **Also, I want to make a shout out to Tricia-Bean-Marie23, with her story _The Hotchner Family_ that really will put a smile on your face. Another shout out to Dextolan, who has written a new story called _Biological Father,_ both are amazing stories and I really think you should check it out!**

 **Oh, and yes. Check out a new story I'm thinking of making a multi chapter story, it's called _Polarity._**

0-0-0-0-0

Emily was so pissed off. Her stupid fucking math teacher gave her a C- on a test, she was pretty sure she deserved higher than that. Normally, she would've been freaking out, panicking, and crying on how _disappointed_ Haley and Hotch would be. For now, she couldn't really give less of a shit.

Today was Cave day, as Matthew now called it. He said that Sophie was getting a new flavor of weed that she claimed was 'brand new'. In order for her to do that, she had to ditch class early with Candy in order to get it. Thank God, she really wanted a hit all day.

She recalled when Derek barged into her room without warning. That was the first time she had ever smoked in the house, the very first time she ever carried weed with her. Matthew had given her what was called a dime bag, and he had taught her how to make two joints out of it. He gave her a plastic bag to put it in and he said, "Merry Christmas." Christmas was _over. S_ he smoked the first joint with Tara at her house since her parents were away. The second joint was when Derek barged in.

Thankfully, the school bell rang that it was time to leave.

She and Tara met up with the others after school at the Cave, where Sophie and Candy were already waiting by the front. They all headed up the steep hill and sat down on their usual spots.

"Did you get it?" John asked the two, the girls responded with a smile, as Sophie took out a large mason jar with the desired drug inside.

"Wonderful," said John, "Let's roll."

Time has passed, and pretty much everyone was pretty baked. Emily was looking at her fingers like they were the most fascinating thing she had ever seen. When this thought came to mind, she burst into a fit of giggles. The medicinal herb smell was floating in everyone's faces. Sophie and Candy smirked wildly, as the latter said, "Whatever we have left...goes to Prentiss." Emily grinned and chuckled,

"M-me? Aw Candy you're the best..."

"If it wasn't for you, girlie, I wouldn't have been able to pass my algebra test last week, so thanks..."

"Check this shit out," Emily rummaged through her bag and showed them her algebra test grade, "Can you believe this? Yesterday's test was graded today. What a fucking bitch." Everyone gasped at the C minus that was written across her paper.

"Damn, she should be fired or somethin', she's-she's not even attractive." Matthew said, "Everyone knows that Emily's like...the next...math person job thing..."

"I know right? This blows," says Emily, then she looked at her phone to see what time it was, "Whoah, whoah, _Whoah._ Is that really what I think it read?" Ace leaned over to catch a glance of her phone,

"I dunno. Maybe? I lost track of time...um, I forgot when I lost track of time."

"I was supposed to be home fifteen minutes ago!" Emily began to grab her backpack and hurriedly put her paper away. She took out a small bottle that was for her eyes to clear the redness. She stood up and was about to leave until Sophie called her surname, "Prentiss!" She had ran over to her and placed a small bag of weed in the palm of her hand, "For you."

Emily smiled gratefully, "Thank you." She stashed it in her pocket, where the smell was concealed well.

0-0-0-0-0

"You were supposed to be home a while ago," says Hotch as soon as Emily walked through the door. To be truthful, Emily felt like _shit._ She didn't know that her high would somehow be more intense, and it made her feel ill. Before she was fine and giggly, now she felt like she was about to throw up.

Now Hotch was giving her a hard time. Not wanting to hear this, Emily brushed past him and slammed her bookbag on the floor without saying a word. Haley was now on her case, looking very disappointed, "Your math teacher called...says you're doing bad in her class...Sweetie, you were so _good_ in math!"

"I can tutor her."

"Spencer please go up to your room, please? See if Derek will help you with the chart like you said you would, okay?" Haley says all of this gently, which coaxed the youngest to do what he was told. Once he was gone, that's when Haley continued her conversation, "What's going on with you? JJ told me that yesterday you refused to help her with math homework." Emily rolled her eyes and scowled, "Well, like you said, I'm _terrible_ at math."

" _Emily,"_ Hotch warned, getting more and more tired of using that tone with her, "You hangout with your friends a lot...and it's making me suspicious."

"Don't worry, I'm not _fucking_ anyone."

" _Emily Prentiss!"_ Hotch shouted, losing complete control of his temper. Haley just stood back and watched that her daughter just swore, and how she seemed unfazed at Hotch yelling at her. Who was this child? She felt like she didn't even know Emily anymore. It seemed like Emily was now more unmotivated, and that she'd rather hangout with her friends than be with her family, and that hurt Haley a lot.

"I'm going to my room," stated Emily, as if she were in charge of the house.

"We're about to have dinner soon, you don't make the rules." Hotch said, his jaw tightening in fury. Emily shrugged and didn't care as she jogged up the stairs and almost bumped into JJ, who looked smiley and eager, "Emily!" The teenagers just scowled and pushed her foster sister away, almost making JJ burst into tears. The two adults heard a loud slam, which was no doubt Emily. Haley closed her eyes, as if she were extremely frustrated,

"What in the hell..." Hotch had barely suppressed a growl, and he almost swore in anger,

"I can't believe this..." he grumbled under his breath, as he was about to go upstairs and confront Emily, Haley grabbed his arm,

"Let her cool down," she cautioned, "She looked very upset." This time, Hotch reluctantly backed down. It still didn't change the fact that he was very angry with Emily, "You _saw_ that, right?"

"H-Hotch..." A small voice caught the couple's attention; JJ, who was still sitting on the stair with her lip quivering. Hotch went over to pick up JJ who was now wailing. She wrapped herself around him as tight as she could, clutching for dear life. Hotch hugged her back, whispering reassurances and soothing words.

0-0-0-0-0

"What's the _matter_ with you!?" Derek yelled, now no longer caring if he was intruding in Emily's room, "I just saw you push JJ and make her cry! Aren't you going to say sorry?" Why were people so fucking nosy!? The noise was too much, it was making her head hurt.

"Leave me the fuck alone, go cry to the fucking parents you probably don't have." Something flashed in Derek's eyes, something sad and vulnerable, but it didn't last long until it turned it anger, "Go fuck yourself, Emily."

"No, you should fuck yourself since no one else would," she snapped back angrily, and that _really_ pissed him off. She really had no fucking clue...

"Those goddamn drugs are turning your brains into poodle shit."

Then he left.

Emily didn't feel any guilt.

She wouldn't be joining them for dinner.

She had a plan.

Plus, she was _super high_ and it really fucking hurt.

0-0-0-0-0

"Hey Emily! You're home early," Haley said, sounding especially pleased. Emily smiled back, giving her foster mom a warm hug,

"Yeah, I'm working on being more time. My friends could be annoying, anyways, I haven't been with you guys in a while."

"Well I'm glad you want to spend time with us."

Emily had to make sure that she'd get home before Derek. Since Derek was invited to a friend's house, this was a win-win situation for her. She'd get home early, pleasing both of her foster parents, and she'd be able to do what she planned. She would've done this plan during dinner time yesterday since she wasn't there, but it looked too suspicious. Not to mention, Spencer and JJ got home a little after Emily, since Haley would go pick them up. It was _perfect._

Emily had yet to smoke the weed that Sophie had given to her, but the thing was, she wasn't planning on smoking it anytime soon, the temptation nearly _killed_ her. But it was for a good cause, she was almost guaranteed this would remove Derek from their foster home, therefore he'd be out of her life for good. So she'd gotten home early and planted the marijuana on Derek's side of the room. It wasn't going to be long now. Her hatred for Derek had been growing, and this would define on how much she hated him. She smirked at the perfect position she was in.

 _Score._

 _Bye, bye, Derek._

She walked back to the living room to make-up some homework she had missed, and she had spotted that Haley was gone and instead Hotch was in her place, "Hey." Hotch looked up in such surprise you could've assumed Christmas had come early.

"You're home at regular time..." He stated, still remaining sharp. Emily sighed and said guiltily,

"Yeah, I need a break from my friends, you were right. I felt really bad for shouting at everyone yesterday, I'm sorry..." Well, she was partially telling the truth. She didn't mean to yell at anyone, she was just way too high and felt over stimulated, much like Spencer could be sometimes. Hotch have her a small smile, one she was thankful to see,

"I forgive you, I'm just glad you're home on time."

0-0-0-0-0

Spencer loved first grade, even though it's clear that he should be in a higher grade. Skipping two grades wasn't enough for him, it would certainly be interesting if he could skip more. It was fun to see Haley pick him and JJ up from school, because he didn't go to school before. His mother didn't let him.

Haley even let them get ice cream after school today, which made Spencer ecstatic, even when it wasn't part of his schedule for today. Ms. Kelly always help him stick to a certain schedule for everyday. He liked it, it was organized and it was neat.

He especially liked it when he got home, because Hotch would be home, and he always viewed Hotch as a superhero, like in the comics that Derek likes to read. Spencer himself had gone through those comics in less than five minutes, and for some reason, the older boy shook his head. He wondered why, there wasn't a picture of a shaking head in the Facial Expressions Chart.

Pictures don't move.

"Daddy!" Spencer found himself shouting, which made Hotch's heart warm up as he willingly jumped into his arms. He was still overcome with shock, first off, Emily was on time, now Spencer was willingly hugging him.

"Hey, bud..." Hotch replied with a large grin, hugging him tight. He soon let him down, followed by JJ wanting to be hugged next. "Me, Spencer, and mommy had a conversation today!" JJ was saying, "We want to call you mommy and daddy!" Hotch felt his heart race with excitement, he was feeling so many things at once, all positive things that he didn't want to let go.

"I'm going to tell Emily!" JJ said, running up the stairs with much excitement.

"I'm going to read that book that Derek told me to read for him." With that, Spencer nonchalantly walks up the stairs to get started on the novel.

"It's time for adoption, isn't it?" Haley asks Hotch, who nods in agreement,

"I think it is."

0-0-0-0-0

Spencer didn't understand. Derek told him that he'd leave the book on the bed for him since he knew he was going to a friend's house today. He swore that, and it made Spencer unsure. That's now how today's schedule was supposed to go at all, at 3:26PM he was supposed to be on the first page.

Well, at least he got ice cream out of it.

He tried to look around for the book, maybe Derek had put it somewhere else that Spencer was supposed to find. Maybe it was like hide and seek, except he knew that people were supposed to hide, not objects. Books can't move by themselves. He tried looking under his pillow, but nothing was seen.

"Darn, I was pretty sure–huh?" Spencer noticed that something had slipped out of his pillow case, which was unusual. There was a lot of green, that's for sure, and it was in a plastic bag. He peered into it, opening it and let the smell fill the room. He quickly shut it, making a face. _Gross._ Spencer had no idea what it was, but he knew it'd make a great science experiment. He'd first follow the steps of the scientific method. Rule number one, observe and ask questions.

Spencer merely stared at the bag. _Contains small leaves, the color is green._

He made a mental note of his first question,

 _What is it?_

He had no idea. Maybe Hotch and Haley could help.


	20. A Wake Up Call

**Disclaimer: O.M.G Summer is here! Oh sorry, that wasn't the disclaimer...The real disclaimer is that I don't own Criminal Minds.**

0-0-0-0-0

"I need help! Someone help!" Spencer came tumbling down the steps so quick with new 'science experiment' in his pocket that he had almost tripped. Hotch and Haley ran over to meet him halfway, assuming the worst. Their gazes were fixed on the boy with worry,

"What's wrong, Spencer?" Asks Haley, with her head tilted slightly in confusion. Spencer rocked back and forth on his heels with his hands behind his back,

"I need help with a science experiment...I found something and I don't know what it is..." Now Hotch looked very confused, with his eyes becoming more narrowed as his eyebrows furrowed. He and Haley weren't too fond with Spencer wanting to do experiments all the time. Haley hated it when he picked up a random object off the floor, since no one knows where it's been.

"Sure," Hotch says skeptically, "Can you show us?" Spencer nods, and what he pulls out of his pocket, was the biggest shock of the couple's life thus far. It was a parent's list of the top ten fears they've had. They watch as he pulls out a plastic bag, a _plastic bag with drugs._

Hotch and Haley's faces were flushed. Haley looked to her side and saw that Hotch's jaw was clenched, as well as his fists. Haley now stared wide-eyed and afraid. Her mouth was open in shock. They were _under thirteen._ Hotch walked over to him and snatched the bag from Spencer,

"Where did you _get_ this?" He seethed, sounding low and dangerous. This made the four year old shrink back, not entirely used to having Hotch be mad at him. His breathing was quick, that much was noticeable. Haley noticed Spencer immediately get scared, and although she was mad as much as Hotch, she intervened, "Honey, let's–"

"Emily...JJ!" Hotch shouted at the top of his lungs so the girls would come downstairs. It was very forceful, and Haley saw the throbbing veins in his neck.

"They're all under thirteen," Haley tried to say, but Hotch wasn't having it. Sure, you could argue that marijuana wasn't as dangerous as other drugs, but that was the main point. One, was that they were under thirteen. Secondly, marijuana could lead to other drugs. He wasn't going to be surprised anymore. He had heard so many fucked up foster children stories that he wouldn't be surprised if any of his kids smoked...except for Spencer. He was the one who came up to him and asked _what it was._ "What is it?" Spencer kept asking, over and over. Haley just shook her head and said,

"It's bad. It's very, very bad. _Don't touch it._ " She warned, as she saw him trying to reach for it out of curiosity. Spencer pulled his hand away, flinching, and went back to staring at the floor. Emily and JJ were now running down the stairs, and had watched Spencer and then looked at Hotch,

"What'd the kid do?–Oh... _shit._ " Emily saw as Hotch lifted the bag up for the two girls to see, JJ's eyes went wide in surprise and she covered her mouth with her hand.

"This look familiar?" Emily sighed and bit her lip, holding her breath in before saying,

"Okay...I know this looks bad since I'm the oldest and that I've been moody and stuff, but I _swear_ it's not mine..."

"Who else's would it be, _Emily?!_ "

"Aaron–"

"It's not mine, I swear!" Emily shouted, lying through her teeth effortlessly. She really should win an Oscar for this.

"I...I found it in my room in Derek's pillow," Spencer added softly, his eyes still on the floor with his arms wrapped around himself. Emily smiled to herself, _thank you Spencer._ Hotch massaged his temples for a moment, the frustration was seeping through, as he let go and it was visible to see how white his knuckles were, "How...What–Why were you going through Derek's pillow in the _first place?"_ Spencer pouted and crossed his arms,

"I told you already, I needed to find his book!"

"So inside a pillow case is the first place you look?" Emily said, with a chuckle daring to escape from her mouth. She never thought that Spencer would find the drugs, and although she shouldn't think this way, she found it highly amusing that he found it. Spencer didn't find it funny, as his pour escalated even further,

"I thought it was under the pillow so I shook it and there goes my science experiment!" The corners of Emily's mouth curved up, revealing a humorous smile that reached her eyes. Haley and Hotch didn't find it funny either, and made it clear when Emily's smile disappeared when Haley cleared her throat loudly. Haley had a skeptical look on her face, as did Hotch, like something was up. Hotch spoke softly to Haley, "Where is Derek now?"

"At a friend's house, he told me yesterday that–"

"Call that house's number right now," he ordered. Haley nodded and dialed the number and waited for the other line to pick up. As she was waiting, she whispered to Hotch,

"We were going to adopt."

"I know..." he whispers back. He heard his wife speaking into the phone, telling the mother of Derek's friend that he needed to come home right away. She thanked the mother and hung up. All they had to do now was wait...

"Something isn't right about this..." Haley said softly, after a while of silence. Hotch couldn't help but get that same feeling from her and he continued saying, "I know, I know..."

"This is _weird,_ " Emily stated, acting completely oblivious, "I never thought of him as some junkie..."

"What's a _junkie–_ "

"It's not a good thing," Haley explains to Spencer, "It's when...it's when you're dependent on something."

"Like my Facial Expressions Chart?"

"No, no...I—" Haley exasperated a sigh, and tried to explain more clearly without traumatizing the kid, "It's kind of when you're dependent on something that's bad, and you can't stop..."

"Oh..." Emily then got a sinking feeling in her stomach, as Hotch was saying,

"You know what? As a lawyer, this makes me _really_ sick. I think I'm going to call the authorities on him... _Again._ "

" _No!"_ screamed Spencer abruptly, " _I don't want him to go! I like having a big brother! Derek let me read his comics!"_

"Spencer, it's okay..." Emily tried to comfort, running her fingers through his hair, "Wait," she said, which made Hotch and Haley look at her with a form of hope. Emily stopped moving completely. What was this she felt? Guilt? No way, she _hated_ Derek. Nevertheless, the teenager continued, "I mean...I've seen foster kids smoke marijuana...It's just marijuana...At least it's not crack or something." Hotch shook his head with anger,

"No...The point is, is that he's still a kid," he explains, his eyes filled with disappointment, "And he's been pretty moody lately...If he was having trouble with something, then he should know to come to us." Emily swallowed a lump in her throat, now she was for sure feeling guilty. She didn't like it,

"Yeah, but he shouldn't get arrested..."

"Well, I guess life isn't fair..." Hotch said, sounding so... _careless._ Emily didn't like that either. Hotch had never given up on her, but why would he so willingly give up on Derek? And why the hell was she willing to vouch for him? Oh yeah, it was her drugs, but anyways...She just wanted him kicked out of the foster home at first. Now he was going to the police. And now, maybe Emily wasn't so sure if she wanted him to leave the home. He was going to get put in a juvenile center for something he didn't do, for what _she_ did. And he had told her, too. That these drugs were bad, and that he was only looking out for her, and that he didn't like it when she treated her siblings like shit.

"Don't report him to the police," she begged, a teardrop that had threatened to spill ever since the beginning of the conversation had finally fallen. Hotch sighed, looking very defeated and hesitation,

"I'm going to have to, it's for our family," he says, looking up to see Emily crying, with her face buried in her hands, knowing how red she got when she was letting any negative emotion out.

"...Unless," voiced Hotch, "You happen to know something..." Emily looked up from her hands, her face all red from emptying our the years she had left. Everything clicked, she knew what she had to do. Hotch and Haley also knew what she had to do. They knew it, as did she.

"...Don't make me say it..." Her voice quavered.

"Emily, we already know..." Haley said softly, her eyes brimming with tears, herself, "We just need you to say it." Emily's eyes shifted from Haley to Hotch multiple times, her confidence was gone. Her demeanor had completely changed; this wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to go; Derek was. She had completely ruined it. She'd be leaving, with nothing to show for it. She's been treating her siblings like _shit._ She took a breath, with her head bowed down and shoulders slumped said,

"...It's mine."

JJ and Spencer, who had been watching this entire time, looked more and more confused as time went on. It was around this time where Haley and Hotch actually noticed this,

"JJ...Spencer? Can you both go upstairs for a minute? I'm going to trust you both not to listen at the front of the stairs," queried Haley. The two nodded and trot back up the stairs, leaving the parents alone with Emily. Once they heard the doors shut of the separate rooms, the conversation Emily would dread for the rest of her life began.

"Do you think we didn't notice anything different?" Hotch questioned calmly, "I noticed your behavior changed as soon as you got a phone. Oh and yes, that will be taken away until we decide we can trust you again." Emily kept her head down in shame as Hotch continued speaking,

"I'm going to be completely fair with you, if you were say...about seventeen or eighteen and you had done this, I would've been okay with you trying it and experimenting with marijuana every now and then. Except, you're _thirteen,_ and you've been showing up _high_ when you'd get home late, which became more and more frequent. I had every right to be suspicious. When Spencer found it, I knew right away that it was you."

"Your clothes smelled of it," Haley adds in, "You've been moody and rude to your younger siblings. Plus, your math teacher tells me you've gotten worse in her class. You're _good_ at math!" She paused, taking in a sharp breath, "I too, am going to be honest with you right now. I'm more mad at you for trying to pin this on Derek than for you actually smoking it."

"Absolutely. You're acting the same way you acted when JJ had first arrived," Hotch agreed, "The point is to move forward, not back..."

"And your _room,_ " Haley says, "It was practically drenched in perfume, trying to cover up the smell. I'm surprised JJ didn't have an asthma attack or something worse!"

"You carried a bottle of eye drops _everywhere you went,_ " Hotch countered, "I mean, really?"

"Do you want JJ to see you like this?" Haley asks with seriousness plastered all over her face, "You're her idol. Didn't you tell her that she should never touch alcohol?"

"That's different," Emily tried to argue, "Alcohol kills, weed doesn't."

"They're substances!" Hotch suddenly snapped, "That are _illegal_ for your age! These substances made JJ's family bad! It's what killed _your_ parents!–"

Haley's eyes grew wide, "Aaron!"

"You need a wake up call," Hotch continued, this time more softly after he'd seen the girl break down into uncontrollable tears as her breath quickened rapidly,

"Emily..." He leaned down to reach her height, crouching, "You're so, so, smart. I know it. You're thirteen...you're still so young. Do you know what happens to young kids like you who start drugs early? It starts with pot, and then they move on to more things, because soon, pot won't be enough. That's why it's called a gateway drug. It doesn't happen always, but I'm not taking that chance with you. I've seen it in cases, where there's always a street junkie trying to find the next high, I _don't_ want that to happen to you. If that happened to you then I–" He cuts himself off, his voice had started to break, "I'd be heartbroken." Emily didn't even think twice, she wrapped her arms around Hotch's neck and cried into his shoulder, the sound of her sobs making her body shake.

Hotch hugged her back, he couldn't remember the last time he had held her like this, and it looked like she really needed this. The last time Emily had broken down like this in front of Hotch was when she had lost her earrings, and _damn_ , that was a while ago.

"What happened?" Everyone was so wrapped up in this whole situation, that they hadn't noticed Derek who had just gotten home. Haley gave him a warm smile,

"We'll be with you in a minute, sweetie. Just wait upstairs? Spencer's looking for some book..." Derek nods but then looks at Emily, who he noticed has been crying and sniffling,

"Emily, are you okay?" This made her cry a little more, hugging Hotch tighter, he returned the same. Haley now says again to him,

"She will be...Just wait upstairs, you'll understand." Derek, still looking incredibly worried,

"Of course I will," he says, giving one last concerned glance before heading upstairs.

"Dad..." Emily muttered, it was barely audible through her sobs and her tears, "I'm...sor...I'm so sorry..." _Dad..._

"Shhh..." Hotch repeated, hoping she'd find the mantra soothing, "Shhh..."

 _Finally._

 _She called me dad._

 _...It's music to my ears._

 _Our Emily is back..._

"I need...I need to say sorry...to Derek," she says, her tears clouding her vision. She broke away from the long hug, wiping her tears with her sleeves, "He needs to know." She had composed herself together and tried giving them a smile, "Thank you."

"Two months," Hotch says to her, "Two months without a phone." Emily nodded in understanding and says,

"Right. But am I even going to stay that long?" Haley now smiles and says something she knows will make her happy.

"Yes, even longer, since we're going to adopt you four."

0-0-0-0-0

 **A/N: This is by far, the longest chapter that I've ever written. And let me just say, that it has been amazing to write, I loved it. This is by far my favorite one.**

 **Yes, I know that some of you may think that it's way too early to adopt Derek or even Spencer, but I want to move the story along.**

 **Yes, don't worry Penelope fans, she's going to enter the Hotchner household soon, but in a completely different way opposed to the other four children.**


	21. Everyone Has A Story

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds, my heart sinks everytime I say it...**

 **I'm taking the advice of some of my reviewers, that I should wait a little bit until Penelope enters our story. Fear not, I'll take the time to develop some of the characters. Yeah, the topic of adoption seems a little sudden, but I wish to move it along.**

 **Make sure you guys check out _Polarity,_ another story I'm working on. I'm working on a schedule for these two stories, which are going to be hopefully updated every other day. When TTC isn't getting updated, _Polarity_ is.**

 **I put up a poll on my profile regarding this story on which kid should represent the cover next for TTC, be sure to check it out to vote for either Emily, Derek, or Spencer.**

0-0-0-0-0

"Do we have to do this?" Emily pleaded to Hotch and Haley, waiting in the doctor's office with nervousness, she ran a hand through her hair, "You know what the results will be...It'll only break your heart even more."

"This drug test will be sure if anything else is in your system that you possibly haven't told us. Speak now, if you have tried anything else," informed Hotch. Emily crossed her legs and looked away from him,

"Just weed, nothing else," she pointed out, "Okay I _get_ why you possibly are doing this, but don't you trust me?"

"Trust is something to be earned," Haley answered, "You've hid this from us for about a month now. It'll take time, but I believe you can do it." Just at that moment, the doctor came back from the lab with Emily's test results,

"Emily Prentiss tested positive for marijuana," the doctor said, "Other than that, she's clean." He gave a small glance to Emily before addressing Hotch and Haley, "Considering her age, I'd suggest one drug test per month, as cannabis seems to be the only issue here. Cannabis lasts in urine for about seven to thirty days."

Drug tested, of all things. Yes, she believed they were insane. The only reason why she did it–although reluctantly– she knew it would possibly get in the good side of Hotch and Aaron. Now, she was going to have to prove herself every single day. She was going to be marijuana-free.

Emily sighed.

She knew that she was doing the right thing, though. She should be happy about that, but she was going to miss it. She knew it sounded god awful, but she yearned for the feeling. She wasn't some hardcore drug addict, she knew that, as well as everyone well.

Emily knew the reason why it made her feel better was when she was with her friends and getting high. When she got high by herself in her room, it was super depressing.

Still, watching her friends get high while she couldn't, that was even more depressing.

0-0-0-0-0

"Mind if I come in?" Asks Derek, this time remembering to knock on her bedroom door. Emily was reading to JJ, and hadn't expected the boy to be speaking to her. She was surprised that ever since he found out that she tried to frame him that he'd bother acknowledging her presence.

Emily and JJ stopped reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Emily nodded at him, happy that he remembered to knock. Derek faced JJ,

"Uh, JJ? Do you mind hanging out with Spencer for a minute? He actually wants you to play _Blunders_ with him." _Blunders_ was a board game that Haley and Hotch had bought a while ago for Spencer. It's a game designed to help children with social skills, and they thought it'd be beneficial for him. JJ nods, climbing out of the bed to meet up in Spencer's room.

"So..." Derek says, sitting next to Emily in her room, "You got drug tested, I heard." Emily sat up a little straighter,

"...Yes, I did. How?"

"I overheard them talking about it."

"Well they said that they felt they had to." Derek nodded in understanding, arching a brow in curiosity, he knew it was rude, but he had to ask,

"...Anything else pop up?" Emily shook her head and put the children's novel down,

"Just marijuana."

"Good." The two sat in awkward silence after that.

"Derek?" Emily asked, although a bit hesitantly, "What's your story?" Derek put his hands in his pockets, with his eyes downcast into the floor, "Why do you wanna know?" She seemed to contemplate this for a moment,

"You _hate_ drugs," she started off by saying, she wasn't making eye contact with him, "More than the usual person, as in, you think it's disgusting. And also–" She almost didn't say it, she _almost_ didn't. She was very reluctant, but she had to know, "When I mentioned that you should...go fuck yourself because no one else would...your eyes just–" She sighed, not wanting to go on because it was probably degrading enough, but Derek nodded for her to continue, "Your eyes were _really_ _really_ angry...And JJ told me that she told you about her dad, and that you said–"

"That I could relate," he finished for her, Emily nods. Derek plays with his fingernails to avoid Emily's eyes, "She's right...But I just didn't have the heart to tell her."

"What happened?" Derek exasperated a sigh, he couldn't have avoided it forever. He had been hiding his life story, and as much as he wanted to avoid it, he knew he couldn't for long. Emily knew that by the way he sighed, that it was going to be a very long story.

"I was born to teen parents," Derek explained, "They...They were both drug addicts, they would rather shoot up instead of taking care of me. The funny thing is, CPS didn't take me away from them, they volunteered to put me into the system, for a better life, except the foster system sucks." Emily nodded in understanding, but she knew he wasn't quite done yet,

"I knew that about you," this statement makes Emily's head snap up with curiosity, "How?" Derek shrugged, still fixated on his nails,

"The way you talked," he answered, "I could tell you were different from JJ and Spencer, they both haven't been tossed from foster home to foster home. They weren't used to that, they would've been a lot more glum. You haven't been in it for too long, maybe two or three years, but enough to hate it." Emily let out a mirthless laugh, he was so right on the money it was scary,

"Basically," she says, "My parents died in a car accident...I had no other living relatives besides my parents, it was always just the three of us."

"I don't know where my parents are, and I don't want to." Derek replied, making Emily frown,

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he says, clearing his throat, "And about the relating to JJ thing...when I was at a foster home, there was this church thing...It was called a youth group. The youth leader took me under his wing, and he was like a father figure. I felt safe. Not for long, because he molested me." After Derek had admitted that, something he had _never_ told anyone, he felt relieved. The feelings of guilt and shame; as well as sadness had left his body. It felt happy to confide with someone about this, and it used to be someone he despised.

Emily felt like she was reliving what JJ had told her about her sexual abuse. This time, however, she knew that she couldn't promise Derek that she'd keep his secret, "I'm sorry...for everything."

"It's fine–"

"Derek."

"Yeah?"

"You should tell Haley and Hotch."

"...I know."

"Scared?"

"I'm just not ready yet."

"I'll be right by your side."

"...Thank you."

0-0-0-0-0

"...Why are we all sitting in front of you?" piped up Spencer, who had just broken the five minutes of silence. The whole Hotchner family was here, and according to Haley, it was so urgent that JJ couldn't hangout with Lucy today, Spencer couldn't finish his book, Derek couldn't go to that same friend's house, and Emily stopped studying for an upcoming math quiz.

"It's just..." _God,_ was Haley _sweating?_ She was super nervous about this, it was only a few words, how hard was it to say one sentence? What she felt was nothing compared to Hotch, who was pretty sure that he was having a mini panic attack, "Some news we'd like to share with you..."

"...Did someone bring in that _green stuff_ again? Because I _still_ don't know what it is..." Emily rolled her eyes as quick as she could.

"No Spencer, no green stuff..." Haley said, shaking her head in distress. Spencer was now staring into space at this point, slouching with his legs crossed pretzel style on the couch. Derek learned forward, maintaining eye contact being attentive as he could. JJ was unable to sit still, fidgeting and tapping her feet with no patience whatsoever. Emily was just _tired._

"So we've been thinking about adoption–"

" _YAY!"_ JJ shouted at the top of her lungs, jumping off the couch and into Haley's arms. Hotch laughed in amusement as the little girl was so happy. Derek was also happy, he didn't think it would be this soon for him, as he still felt he was still getting used to these things. He knew he'd have to tell them about the sexual abuse, but now was not the time.

Emily was very ecstatic, but she had known this information prior, so it didn't come as a surprise for her. If anything, she had felt relieved that she wasn't getting sent away ever since she tried framing Derek for drugs.

Spencer gave a weak smile.

He knew he should've been happy.

But he wasn't.

0-0-0-0-0

Flashback:

 _"Are you nervous?" Asks Haley to Spencer, who was clutching her hand and very unlikely to let go. The boy nods,_

 _"I haven't seen her some time..." Spencer said, looking at the hospital building. He didn't like hospitals, "Do you think she'll remember me?" Haley let out a little chuckle, as if that thought was incredibly silly for such a bright boy,_

 _"I don't see why not." Spencer shook his head, clearly Haley didn't understand,_

 _"No...do you think she'll **remember** me."_

 _Oh._

 _"Let's see what the doctors say, okay?" Haley tried to reassure, which resulted in Spencer holding onto her hand even tighter._ _The two walked into the institution, the institution with so many white walls and white everywhere, in fact, that it already made Spencer feel a bit uneasy._

 _"Mrs. Hotchner?" A nurse came up to the two that just entered the building, "Here to see Diana Reid?"_

 _"Yes," Haley said, then she smiles at Spencer with a gesture, "And so is her son." The nurse smiles warmly at the little boy, knowing Diana spoke about him a lot._ _"She loves to talk about you, she's having a good day today."_

 _Spencer breathed a sigh of relief. He kept his eyes down, but was lead by Haley by holding his hand and following the nurse down to his mother's room. He almost didn't see her, at first._

 _"Spencer," his mother said, with her eyes lighting up with joy. Spencer smiled, his eyes meeting hers, and she willingly hugged her with all of his strength, and she did the same. Haley watched this exchange with a small smile on her face. Diana cradled him gently like she did when he was a baby, and he didn't seem to mind as he relaxed in her embrace and listened to the sound of her humming._

 _It was just like old times, the good times. This only proved Spencer's theory that the good outweighed the bad. Listening to the sound of her heartbeat, he fell sound asleep._

 _0-0-0-0-0_

Spencer tried to prevent his tears from falling, but he ran out of the room before his tears exploded.

He didn't want to be adopted.

Visiting his mother made him realize that he _has_ a mother, and he wasn't talking about Haley.

He wanted his real mother back.


	22. To Grow Up

**Disclaimer: No...I don't even (sigh) do I have to say it? Wait I probably won't get sued if I forget this one time, right? No? I still will? Thought so. I Don't Own Criminal Minds.**

 **A few things that I'm going to be addressing in this chapter: I'm aware of some people saying that Emily had been thrown to the side, due to becoming the oldest of the siblings in a knick amount of time. I promise you, that this was intentional. It was actually one of the main reasons that Emily started meeting new friends and smoking pot in the first place, as this was addressed in a few chapters.**

 **After three years of being in the foster system, she's not emotionally stable, nor is she mentally. Even though it seems like a person moves on from a tragedy, people don't. Her issues will be addressed much later into the story, and why her mind thinks this way.**

 **Another thing is the other children. As for Derek not being punished for running away, would you punish someone for cutting themselves? Derek didn't run away to intentionally make people worry, just like a cutter doesn't cut to make people worry. He did it because he was hurt, and although you could argue that Emily was hurt too, it doesn't justify her to doing something illegal and hurting people around her. Emily was grounded not only for breaking the law, but for being nasty to her siblings, for losing Haley and Hotch's trust. Derek didn't have Haley and Hotch's trust, so he felt he had nothing to lose nor gain.**

 **Emily had lived with them long enough to know that when she breaks rules that there are consequences. Derek had _just_ arrived, and if you remember from when Emily arrived for the first time on how she swore and cursed at Haley over misplacing her mother's earrings? She was completely rude back then. But did they ground her and reprimand her? No. They were more focused on trying to help her. If she cursed and talked badly now, she would definitely get into trouble, which she has.**

 **I actually want to thank you guys for bringing this up, and I hope you know that what I wrote above wasn't meant to be taken as me attacking you, I should've addressed this more clearly in previous chapters. You guys are helping me become a better writer, and I love all of you for it. :)**

 **I hope this chapter doesn't look so short because of the thing I sent above. I'm awfully sorry if this is the case.**

 **0-0-0-0-0**

Everyone has noticed by now that Spencer has left the room right after their big announcement.

"What just..." Haley asks, her brows furrowed in confusion after they cheered, "How...? What–"

"Maybe it got too loud..." JJ suggests, but she was pretending not to be curious about how he flew out like that. She knew, as well as Emily, that there was more to it. She looked up to face Emily with wide eyes, "I-I notice that with him. He covers his ears a lot, doesn't he?"

"It's a little more complicated than that, JJ," Emily replied, casually running a hand through the younger girl's hair, who was still looking very confused,

"We have a new mommy and daddy though..." A mommy and daddy that doesn't hit, was what JJ wanted to added in. Her therapist had told her about not saying such things out loud in a time of crisis, but especially to strangers. Hotch and Haley were very happy that JJ became more trusting, but her trust issues can be rather fluctuating at times.

"Yes, we do..." Emily says. Hotch immediately springs into action,

"I'll look for him, he's most likely in his room."

0-0-0-0-0

He hadn't noticed him at first.

Hotch had looked around the room for Spencer, and he checked the rest of upstairs, since that was where he went. Being a four year old, he couldn't gotten very far. He was growing more and more worried, however, when he couldn't find him. It was taking longer and longer, and Haley by now must've been assuming he was still giving him a pep talk like they'd normally do with their children.

He heard a repetitive noise that sounded all too familiar, and as he kept walking into the direction it was coming from it was getting louder and louder, the sound of a thud, over and over again. _Thud, thud, thud!_

Then, he saw Spencer in the smallest corner in Haley and Hotch's closet, he was humming, which was very high pitched, with his hands clasped over his ears and his eyes squeezed shut. His head was already getting a bruise, as he kept bashing his head repeatedly against the wall. Hotch couldn't waste anytime, if he kept hitting his head like that he wouldn't be surprised if he got a concussion. Hotch's back was against the wall along with Spencer so he could cradle him away from the wall in order for him to stop hurting himself. Spencer started to try wriggling away from the older man's grasp, " _No!_ I don't want you! I want my mommy! I want my _real_ mommy! Why can't my mommy come back!?"

And then, everything that Hotch and Haley worked hard for fell apart, they felt. The days with Ms. Kelly, the therapist, PT, OT, Speech...It just tore apart Hotch's heart. It's not like he didn't know the cause of it, he knew that as of recent Haley took Spencer to visit his mother in the institution. It's not like they wanted to keep Spencer away from his mother, but it did raise a few concerns.

"She's not well, Spencer..." Hotch tried to murmur to him, "Don't you remember what Haley said?"

"She's not my mommy!" Spencer roared, "She's not, she's not, she's _not–"_

"Spencer," that came from Derek, who was watching from the doorway, "I don't wanna lose my little brother." Normally Hotch would've told him to leave and stop eavesdropping, but he noticed that Spencer stopped struggling against Hotch. Derek seemed confident enough to continue, now crouching down to Spencer, "I don't wanna lose the best little brother I've ever had. Who's gonna help me on how to multiply two digit numbers? Who's going to recite the Declaration of Independence for me?"

"You have JJ and Emily! They're both good sisters, even with Emily going to sleep at 10:05 PM instead of 10, and even with JJ coloring out of the lines sometimes. Emily can help you with your homework! And JJ is a very nice to talk about stuff with! You don't need me, and I _don't need you!_ " Hotch faced the ten year old with 'sorry' written all over his face,

"Derek, don't take it personally he doesn't mean–"

"I know...I know," Derek said, understanding completely, "I've always had foster brothers in my past, but I've never regarded them as my _brother._ I love JJ and Emily, you know that, right? But you're my only brother. Big brothers protect their little brothers." Spencer cried at this, his little arms wrapped around Hotch's neck, terrified of letting go. Hotch hugged the boy back, rubbing his back in small circles.

"You're not alone," said another voice. This time, Spencer had found Emily entering the room, she was kneeling down beside him too,

"I know I haven't been the best big sister, lately," Emily said softly, choosing her words with care, "I've always thought it'd be okay if you just did your best, but no, it's about doing better than before. And that's what I plan on doing. I knew that when I called you an idiot, that it was the last straw for you–"

"We have plenty of straws in the kitchen," Spencer stated, "It's in that small corner by the microwave." Emily let out a chuckle,

"You're right, Spencer, how silly of me. Now look, about your mom," Emily bit her lip nervously, "I know how you feel. I never really told you about my parents, have I?" Spencer's cries had turned into soft whimpers, as he looked through his clouded vision to see Emily. She started off slowly, "My parents and I, we were pretty well off, I'm not going to lie. My dad worked hard to get us where we were. My mom, she..." Emily paused, she couldn't about to cry, she needed to be strong for Spencer , "...She wasn't like a socialite or a snobby rich person because of this. Her mind never went crazy due to the money that we've gotten. She was like any other mom. She was the best mom in the entire world, but she's...she's dead."

Hotch knew he should've stepped in, but truth to be told, he was proud of his two kids.

Spencer was now sniffling, "You miss her, right?" Emily nodded, now she knew for sure that she was crying,

"Every single day," replied Emily, her eyes brimming with unshed tears, "You know when I first came here, I remember crying in Haley's arms, because I had misplaced my mother's earrings. I cried, I screamed, you name it. Still," She gives a smirk in Hotch's direction, "She and Hotch put up with me, even when I was mean, even when they could've given up on me, they never did. That's what parents are to me, so that's why I call them mom and dad."

"Even with the green stuff," Spencer stated, earning a laugh from Emily, "Yes Spencer, even with the green stuff. My point is, I'm sure your mom loves you very much, but she can't take care of you. If she could, she would. Just know that Haley loves you, Hotch loves you, JJ loves you, Derek loves you, and I love you." Spencer climbed out of Hotch's arms to stand in front of Emily. Since she was kneeling down, they were about the same height. He lunged himself into Emily's arms, the girl smiled, wrapping her arms around his small figure as he sat on Emily's knees. She played with his hair, brushing it gently with her hand. This gesture coaxed the four year old into a peaceful and safe sleep.

"Everything okay?" Haley had come up by now, with a worried JJ by her side. The two realized that all is well, seeing Spencer relaxed in Emily's arms.

0-0-0-0-0

"Are you ready, Derek?" Emily had kept her promise, watching as Derek was pacing back and forth in her room nervously about what he was about to do.

"I have to tell them, I mean, I'm getting adopted after all," he said, "It's not like I can keep this secret." Emily nods in understanding, giving him a sudden hug,

"You and JJ are the bravest people I know," she says, Derek returned the hug,

"Thank you." They both went downstairs to the living room, they saw JJ and Spencer coloring together, and Hotch and Haley speaking amongst each other. Emily and Derek went up to the couple, with serious no-nonsense looks on their faces. Hotch and Haley stop talking, noticing the looks.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Haley said with a cheerful demeanor. Emily bit her lip nervously and looked at Derek, who was remaining stiff. Haley's cheerful demeanor vanished, a frown taking its place. Hotch was the one the speak up, "What's going on?"

"I need to talk you for a minute. Both," Derek clarified, glancing between Haley and Hotch.

"Do you need everyone else to leave?" Haley asks, this depended whether the conversation was going to be serious or not. A sinking feeling grew in her stomach when Derek nodded yes. Hotch looked to Emily, "Take your little sister and brother upstairs–"

"No," Derek interrupted, "She stays."

"What's going on?" JJ chimed, "What's wrong!?"

"Nothing's wrong, everything's okay, we just need you to go upstairs with Spencer for a moment." JJ cast a worried glance toward Derek's way, but she understood. She stood in front of Spencer, "C'mon, let's go play _Blunders."_ The youngest willingly held his hand out for JJ to grab, as the two darted upstairs to play.

"What's going on?" Hotch said the moment JJ and Spencer shut the door. Derek fidgeted with his hands nervously, and Emily gave his shoulder a tight squeeze, "It's okay, Derek." The boy cleared his throat, and began to explain,

"I figured that since you're adopting me...and I hope this doesn't change anything, I just thought you should know." His eyes were pleading, and that's when Haley and Hotch realized that this was a hidden confession, "Around a year ago, I was at this youth center at one of my foster homes, there was a leader there, who acted like a fatherly figure or a mentor." He paused, and Hotch and Haley didn't say anything or interrupt him. Good. "He was, at first, but then he began doing bad things...He started to touch me. Touches me in places that should never be touched."

It was like JJ's situation all over again. Hotch had to ask, "Did he rape you?" It was barely asked calmly, Derek responded, "No, nothing like that." Haley took a deep breath, she and Hotch knew that their emotions couldn't get the best of them like last time. It didn't mean they weren't angry, they were behind furious.

"Here's what we're going to do," says Haley, struggling to keep her emotions in check, "We're going to call the authorities, and you're going to say _exactly_ what you told Hotch and I. Next, we'll get a therapist, do you know what that is?"

"Yes, and I have no problem with that." Haley reached over to give Derek a hug,

"Good. Thank you for telling us." Derek nodded into her shoulder, when he let go and went upstairs to JJ and Spencer, Hotch faced Emily,

"He told you first, right?"

"Yes, and I told him to tell you."

"I know." Emily was surprised, Hotch knew? The man began to explain, "You were right about wanting to change. You took your lesson from what happened to JJ, and now you're protecting Derek. You're officially growing up into a mature, responsible young lady. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you," is all Emily could say, as she walked upstairs to play with the rest of her siblings.

Hotch smiles at Haley, "They're growing up." Haley lets out a chuckle,

"Don't remind me."

0-0-0-0-0

 **A/N: I know this seems very rushed, but I don't want my updating schedule to fall out of whack. Please vote for who you want to represent the cover of The Troubled Children please, it's on top of my profile! Last thing, also check out my new story called _Polarity,_ I think you'll really enjoy it. I'm putting more of my energy into that opposed to TTC, but never fear, both of them will be completed stories.**


	23. Babysitting Adventures

**Disclaimer: Sammie050301 doesn't own the lovely show known as Criminal Minds.**

 **Please remember to go on my profile to vote for who should be in the next cover for TTC. Also, be sure to check out _Polarity._**

 **Reviews, Follows, and Favorites are always appreciated.**

0-0-0-0-0

Hotch and Haley learned that the process of adoption was going to be rough. It would take a while, they learned, according to Kate. There were placed to be, people to meet, etc,. But if it was to adopt their four children, then so be it. The two have found that both parents had to be present for this particular meeting, so Hotch and Haley decided to give Emily a chance to babysit. They were discussing this privately in their bedroom, and Haley was a bit reluctant at first, saying that maybe her sister could do it, she felt thirteen was a little too young, but Hotch insisted to Haley,

"She's thirteen, she's old enough to babysit," he says, "I was babysitting my brother at thirteen."

"I don't know, Aaron..."

"Give her a chance, Haley. I mean, look at how much she's changed, lately. Plus, it's not like she doesn't want to do it." Haley rolled her eyes knowingly. After all, she was a thirteen year old girl, once,

"It's because we'd be giving her an allowance, that's why. And with that allowance, I don't know what she's going to do with it..." Hotch was getting more and more surprised, usually Haley would trust someone quicker than he would, what was different?

"What do you mean?" Haley gave him a pointed look, Hotch took the hint.

"You think she's going to buy drugs with it?" Hotch asked incredulously, "I don't know about you, but I think that ship has sailed. We've been doing mandatory drug tests every two weeks for a while now, and she's clean."

"Yes, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Haley..."

"Can you blame me, Aaron? A mother worries."

"I know, but let this at least be a trial run."

"With our children?"

"Haley... "

"Okay, okay," Haley said, with a nervous laugh. Then, she points a stern finger at him, "But I want hourly updates."

0-0-0-0-0

"What?! _Emily's_ in charge!?" JJ shouted, with a pout, "Why can't _I_ be in charge!? Miss Railing said I had great leadership skills!" Hotch blinked twice at this reaction,

"Because Emily is the oldest," he answered.

"I think the person who should be in charge should be based on incandescent abilities and intellect," Spencer said, matter-of-factly. Again, Hotch blinked twice, before facing Emily.

"I trust you," Hotch said to Emily, with a smile, "I'm doing the right thing to trust you, right?" Emily gives him a curt nod, with eagerness. Haley bit her lip nervously as she got her coat, "You have our phone number. The number for pizza is in the kitchen. Don't open the door unless you _know_ it's the pizza guy. Don't touch the stove. Call 911 if–"

"Mom," Emily said firmly, trying to suppress a grin, "We'll be fine, I promise." She couldn't wait until they got out of the house. Besides the rugrats, something Emily affectionately called her siblings, she'd have the house to herself. She liked to pretend that she had her own house, and this would be the perfect opportunity.

"Really?" Haley said worriedly, making herself look older than she actually was, "If things change, and you don't feel that way, or if something catches on fire–"

"Wait, the house is catching on fire?" Spencer asked curiously, he didn't seem to bothered by the thought, as if it were an opportunity for experiments. But if he could see the horrified facial expressions of JJ and Derek, his would change too. Emily and Hotch tried their best to hide their laughter, after seeing Haley's face turn pale white.

"Is mommy okay?–"

"I'll take care of her, JJ," Hotch said to the petite blonde, still highly amused. Haley sent a glare his way, making his amusement disappear immediately,

"So that settles on who's driving," said Haley, tossing the keys to Hotch. He sighed, but caught them. He sends the kids another smile, "We'll be back shortly. Try not to break anything. Make sure you keep the door locked."

"Bye daddy!" JJ shouted. Derek gave him a wave, as did Emily and Spencer. When they shut the door closed, all the kids rushed to the nearby window to see them get into their car, watching intensely as they made sure that they were gone. When they see the car drive off and out of their sight, JJ let out a victory whoop, excitedly yelling,

"The grown ups are gone! The grown ups are gone! They're gone! Eeee!– _mmmf_!" That last sound JJ made was the sound of Derek covering her mouth to make any more loud noises.

"Quiet," he said, "People from China can hear you."

"But I love the Chinese!" JJ said, she now looks at Emily with puppy eyes, "Can we eat Chinese food instead, Emily, _please–"_

"Did you know that Americans at first didn't want to eat Chinese food?" Spencer said excitedly, "They had this law called the Chinese Exclusion Act, which was due to the mentality that the Chinese were taking our jobs and thus remains the only law in U.S history to exclude specific people. That reminds me–"

"How do you even– wait, no, I won't ask. I don't care," Derek said, sometimes the boy questioned what the younger one would read.

Emily dramatically sighed, she knew that she had her work cut out for her. She honestly thought about calling Haley and asking Hotch to drive back home, because there rugrats were a handful. But, she really wanted the money, as bad as it sounded, "No–I'm ordering the pizza right now." She actually was pretty hungry, so she dialed the number and placed the order.

"So...what do you guys wanna do?" Emily asked, cursing at herself for sounding completely clueless.

"We can read _The Catcher in_ _the Rye_ together, it's a very good book, but you have to keep up with me," Everyone made a face at Spencer's idea, Emily was the one who said something,

"I'm not into books, squirt. The stuff you read is sad and boring."

"Actually there's a rumor that this book is an assassination trigger," Spencer rambled, "Mark David Chapman killed John Lennon and was reading it prior to the shooting. John Hinckley Jr tried to kill Ronald Reagan and police said that they found the book in his room, and also–"

"Okay kid, you're scaring me now," Derek interrupted, "You want us all to become killers?"

"Who said anything about that?" Spencer replied back, sounding clueless with a bit of hurt in his voice, he faces Emily, "You said it was sad and boring. They're just facts."

"Facts that a four year old should not know," said Emily, rubbing her temples due to annoyance, "Why don't we watch a movie?" She went over to the TV to skim through the channels.

"Frozen!" JJ squealed, snatching the remote from Emily as soon as she saw the title. Derek made a disgusted face, girly movies were not his thing.

"No way! Let's watch Spiderman, I just saw it!" He said, taking the remote from JJ and switching the channel. Spencer frowned and took the remote from Derek, "Hey, give it back, Kid!"

"I just saw something on the discovery channel!–"

"Television is for fun, not learning," JJ said, snatching the remote back and changing it back to the Disney movie. She held the remote tightly in her arms, prepared to hiss at anyone who even _tries_ to grab it.

"Great...now she's going to sing that stupid snowman song like she did _last_ time." Derek grumbled, irritated.

"JJ, remote, _give it._ I'll decide what we'll be watching." With no effort at all, Emily took the remote from the younger girl, who pouted,

"That's not _fair!_ " She tried to grab the remote, but Emily held up in the air out of JJ's reach. While holding it up, she changed the channel into a movie that would satisfy herself. JJ had stopped fighting for the remote, to just listen to what was going on in the movie. Spencer and Derek's faces turned into blank stares. JJ turned to Emily and said, "Emily, what does it mean when you're too gay to function?"

"It means you're too happy to operate normally on a day to day basis," said Spencer. That wasn't the real definition of course, but Emily wasn't about to break it to them. She got up from her seat, "I'll go make some popcorn, you guys want?" They all nodded eagerly, watching the movie with curiosity.

0-0-0-0-0

"That's physically impossible," Spencer said, criticizing the movie, "How can human breasts tell when it's raining? Does it send signals to her brain? But she's not very smart." Derek face palmed, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. Emily heard a knock on the door, _thank_ _god._ JJ began running eagerly to catch it,

"I'll get it, I'll get it, I'll get _it–"_

"Halt!" Emily shouted playfully, with an amused grin on her face. She blocked the door with her body, "Seven year olds aren't supposed to answer the door."

"I thought daddy said none of us could answer the door," said Spencer. The thirteen year old girl sighed dramatically, Spencer was such a stickler for the rules.

"That's why I'm going to ask who is it," Emily leaned against the door, her ear pressed on it, "Who is it?"

"It's probably the pizza guy," said JJ.

"It's Fran," she heard the person on the other side of the door say back. Emily's brows furrowed, standing on her tippy toes to look through the peep hole. This reveals a woman; looking no older than twenty six, with curly hair. Emily couldn't figure out if she was a redhead or whether it was dark brown, so she settled with auburn. She was much too skinny, and her hands seemed to shake, "May I come in?"

"Hold on a minute," Emily said, she faced her siblings, "Hey squirts, none of you know a grown woman named Fran right?"

"No," JJ and Spencer said at the same time. Something was running through Derek's mind, he knew that name, but he didn't know from where. His curiosity was getting the best of him, he had to know. Forgetting about Hotch and Haley's rules, he brushed past Emily and opened the door. The woman, Fran, was now smiling,

"Derek." Derek was nearly speechless; he said one syllable, and he couldn't believe that he was saying it to someone who wasn't Haley,

"Mom."


	24. Torn Apart

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds.

0-0-0-0-0

"Mom?" Derek couldn't believe it. Although he hadn't seen his mother for quite some time, six years to be exact, he still remembered her face. This wasn't his mother, he should've realized. _Haley_ was his mother, but when he uttered that term for her, he felt shame.

"Yes, Derek it's me," said Fran, "May I come in? It's...It's _urgent._ " Emily was looking very reluctant, as well as Derek. But Derek, he just couldn't say no. Something in her eyes, it was pleading. She needed help, he knew that for sure. Derek looked behind him, to see Emily shaking her head furiously no. It wasn't right. Fran had given him up along time ago, what was she doing here now?

"Derek," Emily muttered darkly, her eyes glaring into him. Derek didn't care, and looked back at his mom, her eyes were practically begging. Feeling sympathetic, avoiding his biological mother's eyes, he stepped to the side and motioned for her to come in. She thanked him and entered the home. While JJ and Spencer watched the scene with confusion and interest, Emily's face said it all, the anger was not hidden very well,

"Derek," she started off, " _Mom_ said that we couldn't let any strangers into the house." Fran looked at her son, and then back at the girl who made that statement, "So this is your family? What a pleasure it is to meet you all." JJ and Spencer gave the woman a small smile, Emily wasn't smiling though. Derek brought his mother to the couch, where she could sit.

"How'd you know where I was?" Derek asked in a small voice, not making an eye contact with her. Fran smiled nervously, her hands shaking and twichy,

"I'm not going to lie...I saw you with your family one day, at the fast food restaurant I was working at. It was...about a week ago. I _knew_ it was you, sweetie. But I was too ashamed to say anything." Emily didn't buy it. She didn't buy it one bit. Derek took this time to introduce everyone.

"Mom, that's Spencer," Derek said, pointing to the four year old who have a small wave. "We call her JJ," he says, now pointing to the blonde.

"Hi!" The seven year old called out eagerly. Emily shot the blonde girl a glare that meant to not talk. Derek went on, as if that didn't happen, "And this is Emily." Emily stared at the woman with intensity. Fran knew that the thirteen year old immediately took a dislike to her, so she made sure she was friendly, "Nice to meet you, Emily–"

"You're high," Emily interrupted, it wasn't a question, it was a statement. Derek's eyes grew angry,

" _Emily–_ "

"Sweetheart, I don't know what you're talking about–"

"Your eyes are red around the pupil. You're very fidgety, and don't say I'm seeing things because I know when someone's high. _I've_ been high many times." Emily was starting to form tears in her eyes, why wasn't Derek kicking her out? Spencer was confused by the term,

"High? Like, up in the air? Her feet are on the ground so–"

"Spencer go upstairs! JJ you too!" Emily snapped while keeping the contact with Fran, she had almost yelled this very harshly. JJ and Spencer froze, not moving an inch. They were too scared to move. Fran was done being nice. She gives a half smile toward Derek and says,

"So she's a druggie? And her parents know?"

" _Our_ parents," Emily corrected, with a snarl, "And they found out and made me stop. Clearly no one told you to stop." Derek found himself getting angrier with Emily, this was his biological mother, and she came back. She came back for a reason. He must've been worth something, he figured.

"Are you going to let her talk to your _mother_ like that!?" Fran said, eyeing the girl with disdain, but asked Derek.

"You're not his mother!" Emily finally yelled, hearing JJ and Spencer gasp in fright. She was too angry to deal with this right now. Weren't they supposed to be upstairs, "I thought you two were supposed to be upstairs!? Go!" Footsteps ran up the stairs at the speed of light. Emily went back to her prior conversation at hand, "You are _not_ his mother! You _abandoned_ him!"

"Emily...stop it," Derek muttered, not looking at her, "She's my _mother,_ leave her alone." Emily didn't care now, she was fuming, she wanted this bitch to leave.

"What do you _want?_ " Emily said, disregarding Derek completely and focused her frustration on Fran, "Just what the hell do you want?!" Fran bit her lip in apprehension, fidgetting with her hands a lot more than before. She was getting ready to form her words into what was about to be a long story, "I made a mistake, Derek. I-I want you in my life. But I just can't take you back, not yet, at least. I just need some money, to help me get back on my feet, that's all."

" _Get out_ ," Emily spat venomously, her nerves were fried and she didn't care that she was about to lose her temper. Fran just sat there, staring at her blankly. Emily repeated it again, this time louder,

"I said, _get out!_ " She was filled with so much rage that she didn't even notice that Derek ran upstairs and came back down with cash in his hands. Emily stared at Derek with such shock, that she became speechless as Derek said to Fran,

"This is the allowance that I was given, you can keep it."

"Derek don't give her _shit!"_ Emily yelled, trying to snatch the money, but Derek blocked her from getting it and handed it to Fran.

"I promise we'll meet again, sweetheart, I love you, thank you." Fran says, ignoring Emily.

"Good! Now you've got your drug money, now get the _fuck_ out before I call the fucking police on you! _Get out!"_ Emily screamed at the top of her lungs, she got the nearest item, which was a pillow, thankfully, and threw it at Fran. This time, Fran departed quickly. Emily slammed the door as she left, angry tears blurring her vision.

JJ and Spencer were listening upstairs the entire time, crying their eyes out. They had _never_ heard their big sister yell like this, the same goes for their big brother. They jumped in fright as they heard Derek yell,

"You didn't have to be such a bitch to her! What the fuck is your problem?!" Emily squared up to him, their faces close, with both filled with twisted fury.

"She wanted you for your goddamn money! She doesn't give two fucking shits about you! She's trying to destroy our family, and you call her your _mother?!"_ This time, JJ and Spencer didn't care that they were intruding or that Emily told them to go upstairs. They both came running downstairs to see what the commotion was about.

"Why are you two fighting?!" JJ cried out, but they didn't even look at her, they were two busy being hell-bent on destroying each other,

"You know, Emily, at least I have a mother! You're just pissed off that yours is dead!" Derek roared, losing his composure all together.

"That has _nothing_ to do with why I'm angry! She's clearly a drug addict! Clearly she's using you for your money. Taking advantage of her own _son–"_

 _"Stop fighting!"_ Spencer shouted, his face stricken with tears, "It really hurts my ears! This isn't helping! What's going on?!" Emily let out a mirthless laugh, crossing her arms,

"You wanna know what's going on?!" she started off, with a tight lipped smile, "Your big brother is tearing our family apart!"

"Don't pin this on me, Emily! You're the one that went _ape shit_ on my mom!"

"She's probably some sleazy crack whore!"

"A crack whore?" JJ and Spencer said incredulously at the same time, looking at each other hoping that the other knew what it meant.

"Don't you _ever_ call her that again, you _bitch!_ " Derek shouted, ignoring JJ and Spencer's confusion. This was the exact moment where Haley and Hotch walked in, opening and closing the door quietly. JJ and Spencer had also noticed the door had opened to reveal Hotch and Haley. Emily and Derek didn't, however, and it wasn't going to stop them from arguing like an old married couple. JJ and Spencer tried to cue them that they were right behind them, but they didn't listen. Hotch tried to intervene,

"Guys–"

"You're an annoying piece of _shit,_ you know that?!" Emily snapped, not even hearing Hotch. Then, Derek's eyes grew very cold, yet they had some fire in them. It was rude, and he didn't care that he said this to her,

"At least I'm not orphan," he spat at her. Emily's eyes twisted with rage, she saw nothing but red. It was all coming back; it reminded her about her attacking her former foster sister Christine. Nothing was going to stop her this time. If she got kicked out, if she lost her chances of being adopted, so be it.

"Don't call me that you fuckwad!" Emily screamed, she had tackled Derek to the ground, trying to use her fists to punch him over and over again. Derek didn't protect himself from a single blow, and Emily didn't notice that Hotch had grabbed her by the waist, she was still kicking and screaming with rage, trying to fight her way through, " _I fucking hate you! Do you hear me!? I hate you!–Let GO of_ _me!"_ Spencer had tried to run over and protect Derek, but Haley quickly scooped him up in her arms before he could reach the fight. She grabbed JJ with her other hand with haste,

"Let's go upstairs, now." JJ and Spencer's heads were turned to see Hotch trying to pull off Derek, the fear evident in their faces as Haley lead them upstairs.

" _Derek Morgan you can go to hell! I hate you!"_

" _EMILY!"_ Hotch raised his voice, trying to get her to stop. What the hell happened?! "Emily, stop it! Calm down! Relax, calm down. It's okay." Emily stopped struggling as Hotch managed to get her off Derek, she did put up much a fight. Emily laid there in Hotch's arms, restricted strongly from attacking Derek again. The only sound that could be heard was Emily breathing heavily, which later turned into sobs. Hotch, conflicted on what to do, just held her for a while and slowly rocked her like a small child. Yes, both of them were in trouble indeed, but he needed to find out what happened. This wouldn't just happen out of the blue.

They were just talking about adoption.

What the hell went down?

"What happened?" Hotch said softly, who stopped rocking Emily. She had gotten out of Hotch's arms and say cross legged on the floor. Derek, who had been silent this entire time, spoke up quietly,

"We...uh...someone came in." Warning bells were ringing loudly in Hotch's ears.

"Didn't we tell you two _not_ to open the door to anyone!?" Hotch scolded at the two, "Who came in?!"

" _His mother,"_ Emily spat, like it was poison. Hotch looked to Derek to see if she was telling the truth, and he figured out she was when Derek nodded his head,

"She stopped by...she said she needed money, so I gave her it."

"For her _fix,_ Derek! She's a junkie, and you call her your mother, it's disgusting. Are you trying to break our family apart?"

"Emily," Hotch warned softly, then he looked at Derek, "What exactly happened? Anything else? There's something you're not telling me." Derek fidgeted with his hands, not making eye contact with Hotch,

"She may have possibly mentioned trying to take me back." The warning bells were ringing even louder than before. Emily couldn't restrain herself from speaking up again,

"But she _can't_. She's a drug addict, she gave up her rights a long time ago! She doesn't care about you, Derek! She cares about the fact that you give her money for drugs! She was _shivering,_ Derek!–"

"Well maybe she wants a fresh start, I don't know what to do! " Derek said in a panicked voice. Hotch sighed, trying to think very hard about what to do about this situation. He couldn't do it alone, he needed Haley's help. He stood from his position on the floor.

"We'll figure this all out," said Hotch, trying more to reassure himself than his kids, "Everything's going to be okay."

0-0-0-0-0

"Mommy, what's going to happen?" Haley had taken JJ and Spencer to her bedroom and asked what happened downstairs. JJ, being a lot more socially smart than anyone gave her credit for, just explained the entire situation to Haley about what had happened with Fran. It also helped that Spencer was able to memorize the conversation, in vivid detail. Haley didn't know if it was because of Spencer's genius, or if he was so traumatized that it was imprinted on his brain forever. Unfortunately knowing Spencer, it was probably both. Unfortunately for JJ, it was going to be the latter choice no matter what.

"We don't know, but we'll work it out. We always do." The sound of the door opening revealed Hotch, looking mentally exhausted. JJ and Spencer hopped off of Haley's lap and off the bed, knowing it was their cue to leave. Hotch didn't let them leave without him giving a bear hug to each of them, when that was done, they left.

"They explained everything to me," Haley said, the look on her face showed that she felt a lot older than she really was, "We have very smart children, Aaron, and I'm not just talking about Spencer. Why did they have to witness that! As if they weren't traumatized enough! I _knew_ something bad was going to happen!"

"Haley–"

"And you know what JJ told me?" Haley said, not even hearing Hotch trying to interrupt, "JJ told me that I was too gay to function!" Hotch's eyes said it all, wide and surprised, and although he wouldn't admit it; amused. He let her continue, "I asked her where she got it from, and she said that it was from a movie! My god! What are we going to do?"

"Emily needs help." Haley collapsed on the bed dramatically,

"We should've gotten her a therapist _a long time ago,_ Aaron," said Haley, her eyes all sad, "From the moment she yelled about her mother's earrings, we should have. There's something not right, something is seriously wrong here."

"Well yes, all of our children have problems, but we still love them."

"No, Aaron. I mean with Emily, she's–" Haley cut herself off from speaking with a sigh, a distant and worried look she showed, "I think we shouldn't get her a therapist. We might need something bigger than that."

"What do you mean, Haley? What are you implying?"

"That there might be much more than an attitude problem," Haley replied, she didn't want to say it. She knew Hotch was going to make her since he most likely didn't understand,

"Elaborate."

"Maybe we should have her tested for any illnesses that...causes things like _this_ to happen. These outbursts, they worry me."

"You want her to be evaluated by a psychiatrist?" Hotch asked incredulously, he sounded very doubtful, which showed annoyance on Haley's face.

"You make it sound like it's a death sentence, Aaron," said Haley, "We just want to be careful. If she needs psychiatric help...then she's going to get it."

"Okay, we can do that," Hotch said, agreeing. A worrying thought creeps through his mind, making him steer into something new in their conversation, "What are we going to do about Fran?"

"Doesn't Derek have that choice?" Haley asks worriedly, and she can tell that it made Hotch worried too, "I think so. We should really call Kate for this. Even then, if Emily claims that Fran is an addict, she's declared unfit to be a parent. Kind of like Spencer's mom."

"Aaron, when did it get so bad? We've _never_ had a situation like this before. What if...what if we don't adopt Derek?"

"Honey, we'll just have to see."

Those words made Haley worry even more.


	25. The Ideal Mom

**Disclaimer: Whoah Whoah Whoah, Sammie050301 owns Criminal Minds?! Sadly, she doesn't.**

- **I'm going to make one thing very clear. I had received an anonymous guest reviewer, who didn't really critique my story, but was basically raging at me. Although your points are valid, it was the same reviewer that spoke about Emily being treated unfairly, and Derek being treated better. Again, this is NOT the case. For Derek, there will be consequences for his actions. There's no need to send me a million reviews at once practically screaming at me in all caps.**

- **From now on, any rude guest reviews will not be tolerated. Constructive criticism is fine. If I see a rude guest review, I will delete it. I know it seems like I'm blowing it out of proportion or that I'm being too sensitive, but this is my first story, and I'm trying my best. If my story is poor, than that's okay. I'm a seventeen year old who's still learning.**

- **I do wish to thank some guest reviewers, who _did_ give me constructive criticism without insulting me. I'd like to thank you for trying to help me become better. It inspired me to continue this story.**

- **I took the time to respond and private message all of the reviewers that Ive had, and I've decided I'm going to respond to every single person who reviews.**

- **I'm going to close the poll soon to vote on who's going to be on the new cover, so put those votes in!**

- **Check out my new one-shot called _You_ _Broke Spencer!_ and be sure to check out _Polarity_ as well.**

- **Reviews make my day, everyday.**

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"I'm sorry," was the first thing that comes out of Derek's when she saw Haley after she and Hotch had their conversation. Haley remained completely composed,

"This is a difficult situation, Derek. You're not grounded because of your biological mother entering your life. You're grounded for fighting with Emily. Yes, I'm aware that she's the one who tackled you first, but what you called her was cruel."

"I know."

"You'll no longer be able to go to your friends house until Aaron and I say otherwise. I've booked an extra therapy session for you and Emily to attend together." Derek rolled his eyes,

"Fine," he muttered, "It's not like it'll do anything."

"Derek, cut it out with the attitude," said Haley, warningly, "You were also in the wrong. And even though you said that Fran was your biological mother, you should've called us to check in. We _did_ say not to open the door."

"Haley," Hotch muttered quietly, "Kitchen, please?" Haley sent a look to Derek that said that their conversation wasn't over, and that she'd get back to him. She followed Hotch out of the living room and into the kitchen.

"Yes?"

"This is making me think," Hotch said, "When we spoke with Kate, remember when she said that a parent has to sign off consent, to give us parental rights?" Haley nods silently, letting Hotch continue, "Well, Emily is obviously not an issue, Spencer's father had left long ago, and his mother's in a hospital, so no problem there. As for Derek, his mom is back, but what about JJ?"

"Derek's going to make that decision. It looks like he's on the fence. I don't truly believe that he doesn't want to see us again, but I don't believe that he's not unsure about living with Fran." Haley said.

"She has a history of drug abuse," Hotch argued.

"Is she clean now?" Haley asked back.

"We had a long conversation, Emily, Derek, and I. Emily believes that she still is, and you know what? I think she's right. She explained to me that she knows when someone is high. Derek didn't deny it, but I'm unsure."

"I'll trust Emily, but how do we prove that? We can't."

Hotch sighed in defeat, it would be up to Derek. His mind switched now to another thought prior, "And JJ?" Haley looks at her husband confusedly,

"Her dad's in jail, Aaron," she stated as if it were obvious, "You know this."

"Her mom? She was never put in jail, remember?" Haley ran a stressed hand through her hair, realizing that she didn't get into trouble. It was most likely assumed that since JJ was getting abused by her father, that her mother was being abused as well. True or not, Haley thought, she felt that she should get into some sort of trouble for not protecting her children.

 _When did this get so complicated?_

"You're right, damn," Haley settled on saying instead, "But if JJ's mother wanted custody of her daughter back, wouldn't she have done what Fran did?" Hotch thought about it briefly before saying,

"True. But still, she needs to sign those papers."

"We'll have to arrange a meeting with Ms. Jareau," said Haley, dreading the thought. Why did the adoption process take so _long?_ Ugh, it was like the system was trying to drain the couple.

 **0-0-0-0-0**

Emily should of known that it would've come to this. The way she had been acting lately should've been a clear sign, not to mention the fact that all of her siblings were going to therapy. But of course, since Emily was _Emily,_ she _had_ to get evaluated by a psychiatrist, which was a load of shit in her opinion. Psychiatrists, she believed, were more insane than their patients. Still, she figured that she'd tell him everything, including her past with weed, her recklessness, her anger; _everything._ It's not like she had anything to lose.

When she was finished, the shrink asked her to wait inside while she talked to her parents. They were waiting, curious and anxious about her results.

"To be truthful, I don't think Emily has any mental illness, as far as I can tell," said the psychiatrist, "Given her situation, she's explained it to me very accurately. She lost her parents, she's been tossed around foster homes frequently and never felt she belonged. She has three younger siblings, correct?" Haley and Hotch nodded as the doctor continued, "Right. She feels isolated. Alone. Given that they were taken in so quickly, she felt herself trying to make herself more mature, she became an older sister _very quickly._ "

"It's all our fault, I shouldn't...I shouldn't have–" Haley had started crying, facing her husband with sorrow, "I should've waited, Aaron! We should've _waited_ before taking in JJ, and Spencer, and Derek! We've been _neglecting_ her–"

"If you were neglecting her, you wouldn't have brought her here," the doctor said reassuringly, "It's not your fault, trust me. Emily just needs to know that she's not going to be thrown to the side or removed from your home. I think that's what she fears most. She needs to know that you two love her."

"To love her?" Haley asked, entirely surprised that the doctor was even remotely suggesting that they didn't, "She thinks we don't _love_ her?! Aaron, how could we let this happen?!"

"Why would she think that?" said Hotch, finding himself getting upset as well, "We _love_ her! Yes, sometimes we get angry, or mad, and lose our tempers with her if she gets in trouble, but _surely_ she must know that we love her!" Hotch took a deep breath, trying to calm himself with rationality and reason, "Look, when I first became a foster dad, I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I was clueless, you could say. Scared, even. But as soon as I got used to Emily, and we got to know each other, I knew I didn't want her to leave. I'd love this kid like she was my own flesh and blood. Do you understand?!" The psychiatrist was taken aback, but tried to appear stoic and professional,

"I wasn't questioning whether or not you loved your foster daughter–"

" _Daughter,"_ Haley corrected, out of habit, "She's our _daughter._ " The doctor nodded with understanding,

"Yes, your daughter. It wouldn't hurt to tell her, you know?" The shrink said, "But still, I recommend that she'd get a therapist to get a better hold on her emotions." Seconds later, Emily had gotten tired of waiting and stepped outside of the room. As soon as Haley saw her, she ran to her and wrapped her in a bone crushing hug,

"Emily, you know I love you, right? We both do, please tell me you know that." Emily quickly got a look of Hotch's face, who was behind Haley. His face was filled with many emotions, and she could only imagine what Haley's looked like.

"I know...I love you too. _You_ know that, right?"

"Always, baby," said Haley, "Always."

0-0-0-0-0

"JJ, can you come here for a second?" Asked Haley, who was watching the little blonde draw for a while now, pondering on how this conversation would go. JJ puts the crayon down and sits on Haley's lap, her head tilted, like a curious, innocent puppy.

"Yeah?" JJ's instinctual habit now included her laying her head on top of Haley's shoulder.

"You like it here, right?" JJ lifts her head up, surprised and shocked at the rhetorical question Haley just asked.

"I love it here, why do you ask that? You know I do, right?" JJ suddenly looked doubtful, and Haley detected that quickly.

"I know, I know," she consoled, "I just wanted to make sure."

"Why?"

"JJ, do you wanna see your mommy again?" JJ pouted, looking very confused and said, "But you're right here." Haley smiled at this, but shook her head, "No...I mean your old mommy before me." JJ bit her lip nervously.

"...Is this about Derek?" And there it was. This was JJ's strong point. Haley and Hotch knew that she wasn't the best academically, that she'd rather draw than do schoolwork, but she was good with people. She knew when people needed a hug. She knew when something was wrong, she didn't understand some things, but she knew and she _tried_ to understand. What was Spencer's weakness, was JJ's strength. That was probably why she was helping him with the Facial Expressions Chart the most, and how she _enjoyed_ it.

And now, Haley realized, that JJ was getting older. JJ was beginning to understand things. And JJ, being JJ, wanted to help. With Derek's situation, she had an idea of what was happening, and she seemed very conflicted about it. JJ started unconsciously playing with Haley's blonde hair, much similar to her own, "I don't know. Emily said that his mom is a drug addict. Kind of like my dad with alcohol, but not the same." JJ stopped playing with her hair, looking up at Haley, "Did you know he gave her all his allowance money?"

Haley could only nod silently.

"Yeah...I don't know if I liked that. He's...he's making Spencer sad, and he's making Emily sad. I like Derek, but he keeps _doing_ that. I don't want him to leave, because I like having a big brother, but if he stays, then will be continue to make people sad?" Haley tried her best not to sigh out loud, this was becoming harder and harder as of recent.

"Derek has a lot going on in his life right now that I'm not going to explain. He can explain it himself to you if he wants. You're getting older, right?" JJ nods quietly, Haley continues, "That's something an adult would do, since you're getting older. He doesn't mean to make anyone sad. It's just... complicated, alright?" JJ hopped of Haley's lap, not without giving her a side hug, "Alright." Haley watched JJ begin to walk up to her room, but before she did, she turned around,

"Mommy? I don't wanna go anywhere else but here." Haley smiled broadly,

"Same here, sweetie."

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 **A/N- One more thing! Most of you who read my stories know this writer called Dextalon. For those who don't, she's actually one of my idols and I see her as my mentor. Please check out her stories, they really are unique.**


	26. Truth Behind the Screeches

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds. I do wish I owned a Spencer Reid.**

 **A/N: GUESS WHO'S BACKKKKK! So hey guys, it's been what, a month!? Well I've been on vacation for a while and I hope that you enjoy this lengthy chapter.**

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"Ready?" asks Hotch, arriving at the apartment of, what was once, the Jareau family. What was once filled with four people, now was reduced to one. One passed away, one was in jail, and one, hopefully, was about to be adopted by himself and Haley. The latter sighed, extremely anxious on the ride here.

They both knew that once they arrived in the neighborhood, that they were out of place. While they were hardly the upper echleon, they certainly knew that JJ came from a poor income, based on the outside of the apartment looking torn and tattered. When Hotch knocked on the door lightly, He was surprised it didn't fall over. Moments later, a frail skinny woman had answered the door, with a face much like JJ's as well as her blonde hair, but had the happiness drained out. Her blonde hair wasn't as luscious as her younger daughter's, it looked like it was falling out.

Ms. Jareau recognized the couple right away, "You're the ones taking care of my little Jennifer."

"We are," Hotch replied, sounding neutral.

"...It's JJ," Haley said, sounding not so neutral. Ms Jareau looked at her with a skeptical look on her face, "I'm sorry?"

"She likes to be called JJ," Haley said, glaring at her intensely. Surprisingly, Ms Jareau backed down, making herself look meek,

"Right... _JJ._ Um, how's she doing?"

"She's doing alright, may we come in?" Hotch asked politely. Wordless, Ms. Jareau stepped to the side to let the couple in.

"Sorry this place is a mess..." she says quietly, trying to put things in place quickly, "I wasn't expecting company, I–"

"This will be short, Ms. Jareau," Hotch interrupted, wanting to get this process over and done with, "Let me put it bluntly, my wife and I wish to adopt JJ." Ms. Jareau's body language didn't even react, but something flashed in her eyes, she did indeed feel something when she heard that word.

"Adopt?" She questioned, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice, "My JJ?" Hotch handed her the papers, clicking a pen that was in his hand and handing that over as well.

"Yes, adopt." Hotch studied the woman closely. He knew for a fact that she did feel something, her eyes, held so much pain. Ms. Jareau wordlessly signed the adoption papers, her eyes still engrossed in a dark time.

Hotch knew that Haley couldn't see Ms. Jareau's pain. Haley was too focused on the fact that this was the same woman who tried to cover up her husband's abuse. She cast a harsh look in Ms. Jareau direction as she took the papers back, "Thank you. Goodbye." Before the left, a small voice was heard behind them,

"I never knew he raped them." Rage seeped through Haley's veins, one from throbbing in her neck, she turned around and faced Ms. Jareau, Her eyes flashing dangerously,

"Bull. Shit."

"Haley–" Haley cut Hotch off and continued to glare at JJ's biological mother, "You're so lying."

"It's the truth," Ms. Jareau said meekly.

Haley blinked. "Oh really? You didn't hear your little girls screaming for their lives after your pig of a husband was throwing himself on top of them?"

"Haley, don't–"

"No! Don't ' _Haley don't'_ me! This woman doesn't care!" She turned back to JJ's mother, who eyes were on the brim of tears, "I wish we'd gotten JJ and _Rosaline_ sooner! If that had happened, then Rosaline would still be alive! She would've gotten the help she needed! But no! You didn't bat an eyelid!"

"Shut up! That's not true!"

"It is true!" Haley shouted back at her, "You cared more about your husband's disgusting nature than your two girls!"

" _I CRIED FOR MONTHS!"_ Ms. Jareau finally screamed, Her tears escaping our of despair, "I was miserable! I had to hide it! I couldn't let anyone see! I was in _pain!_ More pain then I–" She cut herself off by letting out a hoarse cough, which lasted for ten seconds, when she was sure she was finished, "I thought he'd only do that to me. If it was me, then it was fine. But not my two girls, I wasn't well..I...I'm not–" she started coughing again, making Hotch and Haley exchange a glance. Something struck in Hotch's mind and he tread carefully and said lowly,

"How long?" Ms. Jareau's eyes were closed due to pain, but she couldn't help but smirk at Hotch's cleverness. Her smirk soon faltered, and she shook her head in sadness, "Stage four, breast cancer. I've gotten stage 2 breast cancer when JJ was around...four I believe? Three years ago, for sure. Then it developed to stage four over time. We couldn't afford much for chemo." Haley's face softened a bit, and the woman continued,

"I blame myself for Rosaline's death," she said, "The saddest thing in life is when a parent has to bury a child. She knew about my cancer, and she knew why I had my mood swings, I know it was no excuse, but I couldn't explain to JJ about breast cancer, she wouldn't understand. And my husband, well, he'd only help pay for my chemo if I, you know..."

"You had sex in order to pay for your cancer treatment," Hotch stated, it wasn't a question. Ms. Jareau gave a sad nod giving the man no eye contact out of shame, "I know it's no use now, since it's very unlikely that I'll survive stage four breast cancer. It's made me weaker, and that also explains why Rosaline's suicide was my fault. She...protected me from him. I knew my husband hit her, but it was so he didn't hit me."

"It...wasn't your fault," Haley settled on saying after a long while, "I'm sorry." It explained much more when JJ talked about her mother's screeches. It was a cry for help, for the woman was clearly in physical and emotional pain. The worry of death had crossed her mind, and she didn't want JJ to think about that at such a young age.

"I knew JJ was hit, I wanted to stop it but...I'm weak. I never knew that he... _raped_ them, though."

"How long did the doctor say you had?" Asks Haley.

"Roughly ten months to–if I'm lucky–three years." Ms. Jareau answered. She faced Haley, "I know you don't like me. You don't like the thought of a mother willingly giving up her child, it hurts you, I can tell."

"I'm infertile," stated Haley, "I'm unable to have children."

"I'm terribly sorry," says Ms. Jareau, "I was just like you, you know. Even with the abuse that my husband caused, I couldn't give up my children. But now, I'm doing the right thing. That's why I'm signing those papers. I know you'll take care of her."

"When can we see you again?" Hotch asked out of the blue, "May I write your phone number down to give you a call?" Speechless, Ms. Jareau complied, and in return Hotch gave her their phone number, "Give us a call, whenever you can."

"Thank you... _wait!"_ Ms. Jareau called, stopping the couple from leaving, they turned around, waiting patiently, "Will you tell her I said hello, at least? And that I miss her?"

"Of course," Hotch replied, and seemingly left along with Haley. Suddenly, the latter ran back to Ms Jareau, "What's your name?"

"Sandy."

"Sandy, I'm Haley and this is Aaron."

"Thank you." And with that, they officially left.

Yes, they were happy that they now had permission to adopt JJ, but what was harder was how they were going to explain to JJ about her mother. For the car ride back home, Hotch and Haley were bickering on how to handle the situation. Hotch felt strongly that JJ should know about her biological mother's cancer. He couldn't let JJ believe that her mother was heartless and that she should be on bad terms. Haley however, believed JJ had suffered enough and shouldn't know.

"Aaron, do we have to talk about that to JJ? What if it makes her want to be with her biological mom again?" Haley argued, "Then the process of contacting Sandy would've been useless."

"Sandy said she wasn't likely to live," Hotch argued back, "If JJ wanted to live with Sandy, than it would be for a very short time. And look at her, her _hair_ is falling out. She can't take on the responsibility of a child when she's sick herself. I think we should tell JJ, she's mature enough."

"She's been on such a happy streak lately. We haven't been having any issues with her lately. Her therapist even told us that she's making grand leaps! It could be destroyed in _seconds_ –"

"It won't. If anything, it's something she can talk about with the therapist. If anything, it _helps._ We can't let her not know about what's going on with her own mother."

"But that's the reason Sandy signed the papers. So she'd no longer have parental control."

"There's a reason we exchanged numbers," Hotch explained, "It's so JJ can spend time with her mother before she passes, we can't just alienate her."

"We're thinking way too ahead," Haley concluded, "Look, it should be up to JJ."

"A minute ago you said that it may influence her to go back to her mother! Haley pick a side!"

"Fine! _You'll_ explain it to her!"

" _I'll_ explain it to her?!" Hotch asks incredulously. Haley nodded seriously,

"Yes. Since you want to explain it, go ahead and do it." As the car pulled up to the front of their house, neither of them looked completely sure now. It slapped both of them in the face when JJ came running to them excitedly like a typical seven year old. Behind her, was a flustered Emily Prentiss who looked like she'd had better days.

"She wouldn't stop _talking_ about the visit. Please just tell her how it went so she'll _stop._ " Emily said tiredly, Hotch couldn't help but smile in amusement. His smile disappeared however when JJ jumped in Hotch's arms to be picked up and asked, "How'd it go? Did my old mommy let the both of you become my new mommy and daddy?" Hotch looked at Haley, realizing that he might of been out of place with this. How could he approach this without scaring JJ? "Let's go inside, JJ."

"Okay!" JJ chirped. Emily took a good look at Haley and Hotch's faces to know that something was up. They were about to bring up bad news. Emily quickly went upstairs to talk to her two brothers. Hotch carried JJ into the living room and sat her down on the couch.

"Your biological mom signed the papers," Hotch started off slowly, and for once, he regretted seeing the large smile on her face, because he knew he was about to make it vanish soon, "Oh yay! So you can adopt me, right? Does my old mommy care? Probably not but anyway–"

"JJ, calm down. We need to talk about your mother." JJ stopped smiling and bouncing up and down when she heard the seriousness in her new dad's voice.

"Something happened," JJ confirmed softly, seeing the distraught look in Haley and Hotch's faces. Haley was wincing painfully as Hotch was trying to gather the courage to tell JJ about her mother's illness, "Dad, what's wrong?" _Dad, not daddy._ _This news was going to make her grow up too quickly._

"Do you remember when your mother would 'screech' as you put it?" Hotch asked gently. JJ blinked twice and nodded silently. Hotch sighed and continued due to her mute answer, "Right. Well...she was sick, she's still sick now. It made her shout like that."

"Like Spencer's mommy?" Haley and Hotch were taken aback. How in the world did she know about his–nope, nevermind. They'll ask later. It's a possibility that Spencer could've told her, anyways, "No, it's not like Spencer's mommy. Your mother would scream because she was in physical pain."

"She should have some soup," JJ offered kindly, "Back when I was sick, she'd give me soup. That was before she screamed, though."

"No, JJ, it's not that kind of sick," Haley finally said, unable to take the slowness of this conversation. JJ frowned, she looked almost angry.

"Then what else is there?" JJ snapped, "You said it wasn't like Spencer's mother, and that she didn't have a cold." Haley shook her head. Why did she get involved in this when she said to Hotch that she wouldn't? Nonetheless, she continued,

"Her illness isn't like a common cold. It isn't something you can catch, and it's not all in her head."

"Then _what is it?_ " JJ pressed again. Hotch looked into JJ's scared eyes, this was so damn hard.

"JJ, have you heard of cancer?" JJ froze completely still, as in the life was knocked out of her, ironically.

"I've...I've heard of it," JJ replied for what seemed like a long time, "Friends at school talk about it. Is my mommy going to die?" Hotch's heart tore into two, he couldn't lie to her, and that's what hurt him the most.

"She's been getting treatment. It's called breast cancer, it's stage four and she's fighting her hardest–"

"Aaron, don't go into detail about it," Haley said softly. She faced JJ, "The point is she's getting help. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask."

"Can I visit her tomorrow, please?" JJ asked, which seemed more like begging. Hotch and Haley exchanged a glance and eventually nodded.

"Of course we can," Haley said softly. JJ got up from her chair and asked politely, and too calmly, "Can I go upstairs now? I wanna talk to Emily." Speechless, Haley and Hotch could only nod again and watched in sorrow as JJ went up the stairs to find her future siblings.

"We're losing her," Haley said sadly, "She didn't even cry in front of us, I don't understand."

"She asked to see her mother tomorrow," Hotch said, "We can wait this out."

0-0-0-0-0

"Damn it! I'm _awful_ at Chutes and Ladders!" Derek said, watching as Spencer won yet again at the classic board game, with Emily watching in amazement again. They were playing the game in Emily and JJ's room.

"It's simple math–"

"Don't give me that, it's _luck,"_ Derek interrupted playfully.

"Not exactly, you just have to determine–"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Emily said with laughter. She returned all the pieces back into the box. It wasn't after a long while that they realized that JJ was standing right in front of them, with a baffled look on her face.

"Did you want to play?" Spencer asks her, then he studies her face for a minute, the pieces of his brain forming on her expression, connecting it all. "You look confused and sad," he concluded. Emily, JJ, and Derek were very proud that Spencer came up with that on his own, but that it had to be negative emotions.

"My mother has cancer," JJ simply said. Derek's eyes go wide, Emily looked very sympathetic, while Spencer said,

"What kind? Maybe it's ninety nine point nine percent curable. I've read a book about it, but mommy and daddy didn't like it." He looked serious, like he wanted to be active in how he addressed JJ's mother's diagnosis.

"You read books, Spence," JJ started off slowly, looking down at the ground, "Breast cancer, and daddy said stage four." Spencer looked emotionless, but truthfully he was finding it hard to tell JJ that the odds of her mother living was unlikely. Emily knew it too, her heart went out to the little girl, knowing the pain of losing a parent. Derek stayed silent, and that was enough.

"JJ..it's not likely your mother will live," Spencer said honestly. Derek shook his head at his younger brother, "Kid, don't say that. She still has a chance."

"My mommy is going to die," JJ said, her voice breaking. Now, she was openly upset in front of her siblings. She sat down on her bed, staring at her hands. When she felt someone sit next to her and hug her, she burst into uncontrollable sobs and teared up. She didn't notice Spencer was the one who hugged her first, then quickly everyone came together in a group hug to support JJ.

JJ felt the tears slide down her cheeks. She understood her mother than she ever did before, for who she really was. And now, she might not have a chance to truly know her some more.

Hotch and Haley were watching this scene the entire time with glassy eyes of unshed tears. Hotch was about to enter the room until Haley grabbed his hand and pulled him away gently, their siblings were bonding, was what Haley told him silently. That they shouldn't interrupt their moment.


	27. A Mother's Love

**Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Criminal Minds.**

 **Ah, as you can see, the cover of TTC has changed! :) Thanks to those who voted for (should I be surprised here?) Spencer Reid!**

 **0-0-0-0-0**

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Haley said to JJ, who was standing at her old home with nervousness. Being back at her old home brought back so many painful memories and flashbacks, but it was awful to think about her mother suffering behind those doors.

"You said it was my choice," she said softly. Her eyes showed vulnerability when she turned away from the door to face Haley, "What will she look like? How do I know what to expect?" Haley knelt down to be at JJ's height, she brushed a small strand of blonde hair out of the little girl's face.

"Sweetie, I've told you a million times. Cancer isn't something you can catch. You can still hug her, and you won't get sick like a cold. Sure, she coughs, but that's due to her cancer."

"It's the cancer talking," JJ confirmed, just to be sure.

"Yes," Haley says, "Now, some of her hair is falling out, that's because of her treatment. The treatment is making her body weak, so if you hug her, don't hug her too hard. You shouldn't be scared of her though, because she is a person, like you and I. Kapeesh?"

"Kapeesh." JJ went back to staring at the door.

"Now that I've told you, are you sure about this?"

"Yes," JJ said bravely, still staring at the door, "I'm sure." Three little knocks on the door, was all it took. The door opened to reveal Sandy. JJ instinctively took a step back, it made JJ feel awful. Her mother was no longer the monster that screeched, she was a woman who was tragically misunderstood. JJ spread out her arms and asked, "Can I hug you?" Sandy nodded and embraced her youngest, and as of right now, her only daughter.

"I'm so sorry, baby, I had no idea..."

"It's okay... _mom_." Although it was true that Sandy was JJ's biological mother, it felt weird for the seven year old, soon to be eight, to call Sandy her mom. It's been months since she's been here, at this very apartment. A rush of guilt rush through JJ, which made her hug her biological mother tighter, but not enough to accidentally hurt her.

"Do you want to come in?" Sandy said kindly, looking at Haley for approval, of course. Luckily Haley nodded with a warm smile as Sandy stepped to the side to let her daughter and Haley in.

"So I can only assume Aaron's working?" Sandy asked, noticing that Haley's husband wasn't here.

"Yes, he works at a firm," Haley answered, she took a glance around the apartment, it was less messy than it was before. Sandy noticed she was looking around and smiled.

"I was wondering if you and Aaron would ever visit again, so I decided to fix the place up a little more, have some pride here, I guess. Coffee?"

"Yes, black with no sugar, please." Sandy went into the kitchen to make her that cup of coffee. She also got a box of a familiar treat that made JJ's mouth water, she was thrilled when Sandy handed it to her, "Pop-tarts!" Sandy gasped at a possible mistake as she looked at Haley, "I hope you don't mind?"

"Not at all," Haley said with an amused grin as she watched JJ eat the snack, "You never told me you liked those." JJ shrugged quietly as she continued munching on the snack. Sandy then said to JJ, "Do you want to see your room? Everything is still the same." JJ nodded eagerly as she knew where it was and rushed inside.

"How's the adoption process going?" Sandy asked, while handing Haley her coffee, "Forgive me. I know it's none of my business. But Aaron mentioned over the phone that you're adopting three other children. Will it be in one place?"

"That's what we want to do," Haley replied as she took a sip of coffee, "We have four children: Emily, Derek, JJ, and Spencer. Almost all of them are approved to be adopted, but there are some things we have to work out still." Like Derek's mother. Shit, she almost forgot all about that.

"Ah, I see," Sandy said earnestly, "May I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Was it true what you said when we last met here? Would you have taken Rosaline if you could've?" Haley didn't even think about it.

"Absolutely," she said honestly.

"Rosaline would've loved you and Aaron." Silence ensued amongst the two. Sandy found her cheeks to wet after she said her late daughter's name. After all this time, the pain and turmoil was still there. And it would never go away until her own death. Suddenly, a cheery JJ came running through the room, "I loved the Pop-tarts, thanks mom–" She stopped herself as soon as she said that. She saw her biological mother's tears.

"Are you in pain?" JJ asks, a little timidly. Sandy gave her a weak smile, she didn't want to remind her of Rosaline, but she didn't want to remind her of her cancer either.

"A little bit," Sandy answered truthfully.

"...Are you going to _die_?" JJ asks, barely getting that last word out. Sandy was frozen, she didn't expect that question from JJ. But at the same time, she was seven, and seven year olds normally didn't have filters. Sandy sighed and looked at Haley's upset expression on her face. Sandy knew what she was thinking, she knew what JJ was thinking. A mother knows. Sandy couldn't lie to JJ, but she couldn't exactly tell her the truth either.

Sandy looked at JJ and said, "I'm going to try and fight it as much as I can, okay?"

"Okay." Sandy knew JJ was now concerned more than ever, and that everything was a little more awkward between them. Sandy glanced at the clock and made more of the time, "I start chemo in an hour, I should really start getting ready."

Haley nodded sympathetically, "We understand. JJ, it's time to go. Let's say goodbye." Sandy smiled warmly at her child,

"Hopefully I'll see you soon JJ."

JJ nodded slowly, "Okay...mom." It still felt foreign on her tongue, and it made the guilt eat at her wildly in her mind.

Why did she feel guilty?

She didn't know who she should call 'mom' anymore.

* * *

"So JJ, how are you feeling today?" Erin Strauss, her therapist had asked her. They were sitting right across from each other, and immediately noticed something was wrong. She saw that the little girl was intent with staring at her shoes, with a troubled look on her face, "JJ?" Erin pressed gently, hoping she heard her this time. Thankfully, she looks up and makes eye contact with Erin, "Yes?"

"I asked you how you were feeling, and you seemed to be somewhere else right now," she replied, she leaned in closer, trying to get her to open up, "Is there something on your mind?" JJ was now more attentive. She took her time to find out the words she wanted to say.

"I'm...perturbed." Erin blinked twice at what was said, "I'm sorry—you're _what_?"

"Perturbed," JJ repeated. When she noticed Erin's weirded out facial expression, she explained, "My little brother used that word to describe how nervous he was at one point."

"Yes, so you're unsettled and nervous?" Erin clarified. JJ thought about it for a while until she said, "Yes."

"Well, okay. What's making you feel this way? Anything new happen recently?"

"I saw my mom," JJ replied, sounding neutral.

Erin leaned back in her chair. "I see. How was it? Is she doing any better?"

"I don't know. Nobody gives me a yes or no answer." Now Erin was confused.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Whenever I ask if she's going to die, they don't give me an answer. They keep saying she's fighting it."

"Well that's because we don't know for sure what'll happen in the future, JJ. We don't want to get your hopes up only to be disappointed." Erin explained, quickly jotting something down in her book. She eyed JJ closely, that wasn't the only thing that was bothering her. "There's more to it, isn't there?" JJ sighed and nodded.

"Who's my mother?" She asked, her eyes desperate for an answer. Erin froze. Tread carefully, was her very first thought.

"It depends on what your definition is of a mother," she answered, after what seemed like a long time, "If you're going by blood, then Sandy Jareau is your mother. But soon on paper, Haley will be your mother."

"Oh."

"Does that bother you?" Erin pressed.

"No, not at all...It's just–" JJ cuts her sentence off with a sigh, twirling her hair out of anxiety, "When I saw my biological mother for the first time since I was placed in care, it was so weird. I had just started calling Haley 'mommy', but now that my actual mom is back in my life...It's confusing me on who's who."

"Do you want to know my definition of a mother?"

"Yes."

"A mother's responsibility is to care for and to protect her child, to put her child above all else. A mother sees flaws in her child, but is there to help them through it. A mother teaches through their child's strengths, not weaknesses. A mother teaches their child confidence, not arrogance." Erin finished explaining. For good measure, she concluded,

"That–" A pause. "–is my definition of a mother." JJ had absorbed every word that she said. She was now weighing her options. It was battle in her mind that seemed like it went on for hours, in reality it was about a minute or two. It didn't make it less intense, though. She was going through this, sentence by sentence.

 _A mother's responsibility is to care for and to protect her child, to put her child above all else._

Sandy, her biological mother, was more concerned about protecting her husband from accusations of abuse than to protect her and Rosaline from him. Although she didn't know about their rapes, she did know about the physical abuse, and did nothing to stop it.

As soon as she came into Haley's care, she did her best to treat JJ's injuries as much as she could. JJ remembered Haley's eyes being filled with compassion and unconditional love from that very first day. Haley comforted her through her nightmares, hushing her to sleep, bringing her back from a dark place.

 _A mother sees flaws in her child, but is there to help them through it._

Sandy saw flaws in JJ, she knew that she was going to have severe problems in the future. So yes, she saw her daughter's flaws. But she sat by and let it happen, which was the last thing she needed, and the same went for Rosaline. The latter had already developed severe mental problems.

Haley was wondering how JJ would've turned out if she continued to stay in her mother's care. Would she have developed the same problems? She didn't know. Anyway, Haley knew that JJ had issues to be dealt with, but always encouraged her to talk about it together with someone. Whether it be her, Hotch, Emily, or the therapist.

 _A mother teaches through their child's strengths, not weaknesses._

Sandy was vaguely aware that JJ struggled academically. What she didn't know, was JJ's natural talent for art and compassion, like Haley did. Haley told her about her gift for art, and for knowing when someone needs a hug. Haley never stopped telling her that she'll live her life wonderful and full, due to her wanting to help people. Like when she'd stay with Spencer for hours to help him with Facial Expressions Chart. Nobody asked her too, she volunteered to.

 _A mother teaches their child confidence, not arrogance._

Sandy didnt give her daughters' confidence, simply because she didn't have confidence herself. It would be like the blind leading the blind. Sandy appeared very meek, and her only way to cover that up was too screech. Haley helped her out at school, when all the kids started laughing at her because she couldn't answer a question. Haley taught her that she shouldn't give up, and that if a person can't see how wonderful you are, than that person is foolish.

So, yes, JJ knew who the obvious choice was.

As soon as her therapy session was over, she rushed into her mother's arms, who had been waiting for her outside. Haley was caught off guard, but laughed and returned the gesture by hugging her back. "So I can assume it was a good session?"

"The best," JJ replied, a wide smile spread across her face, "You're the best mom ever, I love you."

* * *

 **A/N: Awwww! So yes, this was a very JJ-centric chapter. But no worries, my darlings, the next chappie will be up soon!**


	28. Early Mornings and Future Plans

**Disclaimer: I can't own Criminal Minds, it _sucks._**

 **I really hope you guys check out my one-shot, The BAU Gets Stoned. Tell me what you think.**

 **0-0-0-0-0**

"Kid, I _really_ don't want to play chess," Derek said to Spencer.

"Chess is a relaxing game," he defended.

"It is not!"

"Is _too!_ "

"You play it because you always win!"

Spencer said, "Since you helped me with the Facial Expressions Chart, I'm returning the favor by helping you with your abysmal chess skills."

"I don't even know what abysmal means!" Derek said, trying to keep his temper inside.

Hotch was fully awake while Haley was dipping back and forth between. "Hmm..?" She mumbled in her sleep, stirring a little to the point of almost being awake, "...Honey? The boys..." Hotch sighed and glanced at the clock that just turned to 5:45 AM, it was way too early for this.

"I got it," he said, dragging himself out of the comfy sheets of their bed. He went inside the boy's room and saw Spencer pouting and Derek looking highly annoyed. "Boys...It's almost six in the morning. Go to sleep."

"The little brat over there woke me up!" Derek said with grouchiness, pointing to the four year old, "He wants to play chess! _Chess!_ "

"Derek, don't call your brother a brat," warned Hotch, pressing his lips like he was trying to keep his temper inside. He directs his attention to the toddler, "Spencer, you'll play chess after school. Now, we're sleeping. I'll wake you up in a hour."

"Don't you mean eighty five minutes? Because if it's not, we'd be breaking the bed rules."

"How _old_ are you?!" Derek exclaims.

Spencer was about to open his mouth to answer in a detailed manner until Emily walked in along with JJ, holding her hand. Emily sent her two brothers a watchful look from being woken up. "If you boys don't shut the fu–" And she cut herself off when she saw Hotch glaring at her for the word that he knew was about to come out. Emily laughed sheepishly, but Hotch wasn't. "What word were you going to say around your _four_ year old brother and your _eight_ year old sister?"

"I believe the word she was going to say around me was–"

"Spencer, it's a rhetorical question," interrupted Hotch.

"Can we have pancakes for breakfast?" JJ asked with a yawn and a stretch of her arms.

"Oh yeah, we should eat now, I've been up since four AM."

"Spencer, why have up been up since four in the morning?" Hotch asked curiously, although he'd prefer sleeping right now more than anything.

"I couldn't sleep," he answered.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

"No, I didn't." Emily facepalmed in annoyance, and she took JJ's hand again and said, "Yeah. I'm done with this. Let's go back to sleep. I need my beauty rest."

"Beauty rest?" Inquired JJ, "You can actually get prettier while sleeping?" Emily nodded and said, "I'm prepping you early for when your my age." JJ was baffled, but then remembered a conversation that was similar with her and Rosaline. She didn't question it and followed Emily.

"But Spencer, you said you couldn't sleep," Hotch said, getting back to the previous conversation at hand, "Can you tell me why?"

"...Derek snores."

"Oh _hell_ no!" Derek exclaimed, not caring if no one would sleep now. "Are you seriously going to let the kid accuse me of snoring? I'm not an old man!"

"Actually, snoring can be heard in children. You might want to look at signs for sleep apnea–"

"Spencer, not now," said Hotch. "Derek, don't shout. It is almost six in the morning. Get back to sleep." The two did so, not without Derek sighing with frustration and with Spencer giving Derek an _innocent_ smile. He closes his eyes, pretending to be asleep while Derek rolls his eyes.

"...Little bastard," he muttered under his breath, and sees a much more sinister smile appear on the four year old's face.

Oh, it's _on._

0-0-0-0-0

"School is _ending_ soon, and you haven't kissed a boy yet!" That was the shrieking voice of Tara, talking to Emily in the middle of algebra class. Emily was surprised no one looked at them strangely, Tara had a habit of being, well, _loud._ The dark haired girl raised a brow, she didn't truly believe that things like that were important. Then again, she had gotten used to having friends–even if she didn't participated in their circles anymore–and she was about to be adopted by Haley and Hotch. Would her last year of middle school be truly incomplete without kissing a boy?

"Have I ever been one to follow social rules?" Emily asked incredulously, truthfully she didn't want to talk about this right now. She was so fucking tired from her annoying brothers.

"Well...no, but even I kissed a boy before, you can't go on to high school without having your first kiss!" Oh shit, graduation was coming up soon.

"Well...how do I get my first kiss?" What the hell. Why the fuck not? It's not like there was anything else that Emily could do. She had long ago mourned the loss of her beloved plant, but there were days were it'd be nice to be in circles again. Still, it was better than being on the disappointed side of Haley and Hotch.

"Oh, you don't know?" Tara asked, mildly surprised that Emily doesn't know what she was referring to. Honestly, when did she ever know what Tara was talking about?

"No, I don't. New girl, remember?"

"I wouldn't call you a new girl anymore. You've been here six months."

"Tara–"

"Okay. okay," Tara settled with a giggle when she saw Emily's impatient glare, "There's always a end of the year party, at since it's rapidly approaching–everyone hooks up. It's actually earlier this year, next week I think."

"I don't think they'll let me go," Emily said sadly.

Tara scowled. "Ask, at least. Sure you got in trouble with smoking but, you should be able to at least go to a party."

"I want to, but what if my siblings need me?"

"Don't you have an Aunt Jessica? That's what aunts are for. Ask your mom."

0-0-0-0-0

Breathe. In and out. It's not that hard.

"Hey, mom?" Emily asked with hope in her eyes, Haley turned around from washing the dishes to answer her daughter's question, "What's up? You're home early."

"There's a party next week for graduating eighth graders," Emily started off, waiting for some kind of reaction that Haley would give. When she remained silent, Emily took her chances, "Can I go?" Haley bit her lip with reluctance, Emily had been pretty well behaved as of recent, and she has been helping around the house.

"Tell me where it is. I'm picking you up at ten pm, do you understand me?" Emily had barely heard her, as a grin was spread across her face. She squealed and hugged Haley in delight. She let go and went back upstairs to text Tara about the good news. The sound of a phone ringing had caught Haley's attention, recognizing the ID, she knew that it wasn't going to be good news, "Yes, Kate?"

"You're planning to adopt all your kids, right?" Haley furrowed her brows together at the strange question, of course she was! She even told Kate that she was, why was she asking again?

"Kate, I already told you. What's wrong?"

"Derek's mother hasn't signed her rights away yet, she's fighting to get them back," she sounded upset, worried. This in return made Haley slightly frustrated, "You do realize she isn't fit to be a mother, right? Did you guys check—"

"Yes. But she's insisting that she's changed. She's insisting that she can have her son back. If you don't, Derek will be returned to his biological mother."

Shit.

"...thanks Kate." Then she hung up and massaged her temples. That's clearly the last thing that she and Hotch wanted. She's pretty sure Emily, JJ, and Spencer felt the same way too, _e_ _specially_ Spencer. But they never asked if it was something Derek truly wanted. If Derek wanted to leave, she'd be against it, but she'd let him go. Although she wished that it could be proven that Fran wasn't responsible. She waited for Hotch to come home, she explained to him about the phone call she got from Kate, and both of them realized they needed to talk to Derek, _now_.

"Derek? We need to talk to you for a minute?" Hotch called from the bottom of the stairs, with Haley standing next to him. Derek had run down the stairs, to find various shapes taped to his forehead. Haley and Hotch looked at this with confusion.

"Spencer _insisted_ that we'd play 'shapes' together, I did not know that it would come to this."

"Right...well we have something that we need to discuss with you, and it's something that we put off of for a very long time..."

0-0-0-0-0

 **Ooof, sorry for that cliffhanger, but _maybe_ this will make you feel better:**

 ** _NEW CRIMINAL MINDS STORY COMING SOON! : THE BAU STONER CHRONICLES!_**

 **This AU story is mainly a collection of one-shots about our favorite profilers getting high, and having silly conversations in a circle together, a lá _That's 70s Show,_ throughout the episodes of criminal minds, starting from the very first episode. This is so a crackfic, filled with randomness, stupidity, and OOCness.**


	29. Derek's Decision Part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds**

0-0-0-0-0

"My mother? My _biological_ mother?" Derek clarified, looking baffled when Haley and Hotch explained the situation. Too be honest, he hadn't heard from her in a very long time. The last time they had spoken was when she had come over and asked for money. He had believed her when she said it wasn't for drugs, but was he so sure now? He knew how he felt about drug addicts, and ever since then he started questioning about his father. Where was his father in this?

"...Do you want to see her?" Haley asked reluctantly. She knew it was wrong to think about it, but she truly didn't want Derek to go back. She desperately wanted someone to prove that Fran was an unfit mother. She saw that he had a hesitant look on his face, he was _actually_ thinking about it. Haley tried to hide her hurt, as did Hotch. The difference was that the latter was much better at hiding his emotions compared to his wife. Maybe it was because Hotch was slightly less hurt, but more understanding.

"I don't know," was what Derek said after a while, "She said she wanted me back, yet she hasn't tried to reach me or anything." Not one phone call, not one letter, not one visit. Was she scared, perhaps? Derek didn't think so. Haley taught him that a mother would do anything to reach her children.

"But do you want to reach her? That's what's important," asked Hotch. Again, this was a question that Derek just couldn't answer. He was hesitant, reluctant, and a little scared. What if Fran isn't the woman that she said she was? But, what if she was waiting for him? He needed help with this. He couldn't do it alone, but it couldn't involve Haley and Hotch.

 _Meanwhile..._

Emily, JJ, and Spencer were eavesdropping at the top of the stairs. While Emily was reluctant to do this, she knew damn well that it was about Fran, somehow. She didn't dislike Fran, she _loathed_ Fran. She stood for everything she hated in a person. Who did she think she was? Just waltzing in and claiming responsibility for him? _Why now?_ It made Emily want to vomit, it was so sickeningly sweet.

Originally, only _she_ was going to listen in on their conversation. But then IN came around saying that Derek was her big brother and that she was worried about him, and then _Spencer_ came in and insisted on staying because it was "beneficial to learn about his situation". She knew very well that there were things Spencer couldn't know about Derek, but when Spencer threatened to wail and scream, she let him stay. She was too worried about Derek. The three of them waited for his answer to Hotch's question.

"I'm not sure. Can I have a day or two to think about this?" Hotch tried to hide his sigh, not the exact answer he and Haley were looking for. The man nodded, trying to hide his disappointment.

"Yes. Two days, alright?" Hotch asked, and Derek nodded. JJ was pissed at Derek's response, she felt hot angry tears fall down on her face. Emily was about to ask what was wrong, she put a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder until the latter shrugged it off. Emily had seen JJ cry, but she had never seen her truly angry, not like this. JJ looked Emily straight in the eye and said lowly and dangerously, "Don't. Fucking. Touch. Me." She stalked over to her room, and resisted the urge to slam the door with all her might. Spencer and Emily could hear the muffled screams that JJ was letting out into her pillow, the sound of her legs kicking against the bed.

That's when Emily grabbed Spencer's hand and led him back to his room and shut the door gently behind them. She saw Spencer's confused face, almost looking _scared,_ and she knew that he'd bombard her with questions, that she was prepared to answer. Somebody had to, and it wasn't going to be Haley or Hotch. Spencer curled up in his bed, and Emily hoped he wasn't going to go into one of his meltdowns.

"She's so sad..." Spencer muttered brokenly, a tear escaped silently, "Why is she sad? She's scaring me." Emily should be proud that Spencer felt something for JJ, that he was understanding others emotions, but she hated that it had to be shared sadness instead of joy. Emily sat next to Spencer on the bed, slowly wrapping her arms around him, glad that he didn't flinch at the contact. He was getting better with that too.

"Because...Derek and JJ, they're a little different from us," Emily put in mildly, using one of her hands to stroke Spencer's messy hair. He looked up at her concerned face and asked, "H-H-How?" Emily hugged him a little tighter, carefully thinking about how to explain their dilemmas.

"You and I, we had parents who loved us. Your mom loves you, right?" Spencer nodded right away, he didn't even have to think. Emily explained a little further, "Well...their parents gave them up. They always have to ask the question, 'why?'" She paused, hoping it sunk in. She knew she shouldn't be explaining this to a four year old, but she felt she had to, "They think, 'Why did my parents give me up?' 'Don't they love me?' I think that's what made JJ upset, that her mother willingly gave her up, and her father isn't a saint, either. When Derek's mom mentioned coming back, it probably made her snap."

"They're loved here, don't they know that? That's so unfair!"

"Shhh...I know, Spencer. They're just figuring stuff out in therapy, just like you and I do." Their comforting session was interrupted when Derek walked in, surprised to see Emily holding a shaken up Spencer.

"What's going—"

 _"Liar!"_ Hissed Spencer, his eyes flaring with rage as he jumped off the bed and began charging toward Derek, his little fists colliding into his stomach, which didn't really hurt. "Liar, liar, liar, liar!" He shouted that with every punch, until Emily held him back from making any more noise, hoping Hotch and Haley didn't hear. "Shhh! Spencer!" Derek took a step back, surprised that Spencer was capable of that much pent up rage.

"He made JJ sad!" Spencer accused, pointing a finger at him. "Why would you do that to her!? Why are you going back to Fran?! You're confusing me and I don't understand!" Emily picked him up and placed him back on his bed, hoping the comfort of it will soothe him. Spencer curled up against it, and started hitting his head against the hard headboard, the opposite effect what he needed.

Emily had no choice now. She had to call Haley and Hotch. When she looked at Derek, he knew it too. Emily exited the room bolted to the top of the stairs to call for help.

"Mom! Dad! It's Spencer! Help!" Not even thinking for a second, Haley and Hotch rushed up the stairs to his room, worried and frightened when they saw him hurting himself repeatedly. While they were trying to comfort him out of his meltdown, Derek abruptly yanked Emily out of the room to talk to her, "You have to help me."

"Do you _see_ what's happening right now, Derek?!" Emily whispered fiercely, with her eyes flaring, "Look at your _brother._ Yes, your _brother._ Because this is your _family._ Do you see the pain he's in? And the pain JJ is in? We're the older siblings, we need to be there for them!"

"That's what I need your help with!" Derek retorted back, "I need to see Fran!" This made Emily, if possible, even angrier.

"Are you fucking insane? No! You hate drug addicts, and she is one!"

"That's what I'm trying to prove!" This made Emily's anger go away only slightly, but she didn't talk to show that she was listening. "Look...If she's a drug addict, we can get proof so she's unfit. I know where she lives, she wrote me down the address, remember? But I need you to come with me." His voice was now desperate, pleading even. "Please, Em. I _need_ to know. You're the only one who understands this more than anyone else." She thought about it, long and hard. She felt his pain, so she nodded that she would do it.

"Tomorrow we skip," Emily ordered curtly, "We'll have no choice but to go during school hours—" she was cut off by Derek reaching over and hugging her tightly, something he has never done before. Baffled, she hugged him back. That's when she knew this was important to him. He was never do grateful to the point where she'd hug him.

"JJ," said Emily, pulling away from the hug, "We have to talk to JJ."

"She hates me," Derek said, sounding very guilty. Emily sighed, she couldn't make him feel better by lying to him by saying everything was okay.

"Just for now...but once we talk to her, everything's gonna be okay, you know that." Emily opened the door to JJ's room and told Derek to step in. JJ was still crying into her pillow, more sad but less angry. But when she lifted her head up to see her older siblings, she snapped, "Go away! Do you hear me? Go away!"

"Spencer's crying," was all Emily had to say, which made JJ stop her anger at them as of now, "Wh-wh-what? Why's he crying?!" Emily knew how protective the little blonde was over Spencer. She was the one who was one classroom across from him, ready to beat down bullies with her bare fist if she had to, even though she wasn't that type of person.

"He got...overwhelmed," was Emily's answer.

"Because of you!" JJ accused, pointing her finger at Derek, "You always make him sad! And it's making me sad and none of us can take it anymore! It hurts, Derek!"

"JJ, look, I'm sorry, but here's what we're going to do," Derek said, "You can't tell mom and dad, either. Tomorrow, we're visiting my biological mother. We're going to prove that she's an unfit mother, because I'm not too sure about the situation, okay?"

"...Okay," she says, her eyes red from crying, "But you have to say sorry to Spencer first, okay?" Derek smiled, he knew very well that JJ didn't really have the strength to hold a grudge against her siblings for so long.

JJ sniffled into her clothes before she got up from her bed and hugged Derek.

"You'll always be my brother," she said, leaning against him, "Just remember that."

0-0-0-0-0

 **A/N: Alright, I'm gonna advertise this as much as I can, and since it's not its own chapter, the fanfiction rules say that I can do it at the top or bottom of my chapter.**

 ** _NEW CRIMINAL MINDS STORY COMING SOON! : THE BAU STONER CHRONICLES!_**

 **This AU story is mainly a collection of one-shots about our favorite profilers getting high, and having silly conversations in a circle together, a lá _That's 70s Show,_ throughout the episodes of criminal minds, starting from the very first episode. This is so a crackfic, filled with randomness, stupidity, and OOCness. Major OOC. You will probably never see something so OOC.**


	30. Derek's Decision Part 2

**As you can all see, I updated TTC. I was thinking about it, and here's a solution I've come up with.**

 **TTC will be completed in less than 10 chapters. Now, _wait_ , you might be thinking. What about Penelope? Well, this is where I say:**

 **There will be a sequel.**

 **And that'll include Penelope's entrance into the Hotchner family.**

 **So fear not, my lovelies, I said I was going to complete it.**

0-0-0-0-0

Derek was dreaming. Well, he's not exactly dreaming about sunshine and rainbows, more like scary things that a child should not be dreaming about. But what he had dreamed, he knew was going to influence his decision in terms of his placement.

All he saw was his mother in a lone apartment. Old, torn apart, and lacking of any knick knacks or furniture, all being sold for abysmal desires. The eviction notice is on the front of the door. And what his mother doing? She's just smoking a joint. It was just pot. Pot was safe. But then, he sees her pop in a pill, no biggie. Oh, was it two? Now she's snorting coke, and now she grabs a needle and flicks her arm and—

 _Stop_. Derek wakes up, drenched in sweat at the horrid nightmare. _Just stop._

He knows it's judgmental. He knows it's considered sexist, but he knew of girls, _young girls_ on the streets—and he's not putting this lightly—that would fuck for the drugs.

His mother was one of them, after all.

Maybe that's why he snapped at Emily. It reminded him of the life that could've been if he hadn't been put into the system so early. It also reminded him that he really didn't want another person to go down that path. Yes, he fought with Emily frequently, and yes—sometimes he was a straight up asshole—but he was mean for good intentions, he thought.

He considers himself to be mature. At ten, soon to be eleven, he had to be mature. He learned to grow up fast. He believed that he wasn't some little kid. Two digits, he'd say, referring to his age. That he'd been able to run away skillfully before, and how he had perfected his way of being more sky on the streets. But moments like this, where he'd wake up in cold sweat after a bad nightmare—he then realized he was still a kid.

Derek gently shook Spencer awake, being very careful since he knew that Spender could be haphephobic at times, "Kid..." Spencer stirred a little in his bed, humming a little bit. "Hmmm...?" Well, that could've gone a lot worse. "Derek, why did you wake me up?" He didn't sound mad at all, surprising Derek. The four year old sniffed the air randomly, before looking at Derek's right eyebrow, "The house isn't on fire, isn't it?"

"No...it's safe," Derek replied, smiling weakly. Spencer now gave eye contact, looking super inquisitive, "JJ and Emily do that. They smile like that when they're sad. Ms. Kelly says that the Facial Expressions Chart isn't always followed, and that it might mean the opposite. Why are you smiling?" His smile disappeared now. Why was Spencer learning about this _now_? He was on to him.

"Kid...can I just sleep next to you? Please." Spencer saw that his eyes were red, like he had been crying. He moved over to make room for Derek, who was now leaning against the bedframe and protectively wrapping his arms around his knees. He looked away from Spencer, who was staring at him with curiosity and—concern?

"Derek..." Spencer called to him, and that's when he noticed his older brother was shaking, _trembling,_ actually. What Spencer couldn't see was the tears streaming down his face.

Derek couldn't look weak in front of Spencer. Ever since he tried to run away from the Hotchner family and failed, he vowed that _he'd_ be the one to look after him. And yesterday, he had made him go into a meltdown. He let Spencer down. That already made him guilty enough. And now, he just woke up from he was sure was his future, a horrible nightmare with his mother where he was surrounded by negative influences.

Derek felt someone lean against him, while tiny arms wrapped around his stomach tightly, almost a little too tightly, but he didn't care. He accepted this embrace, he truly needed it. He was surprised that Spencer wasn't uncomfortable with the touch.

"Kid, I'm sorry about yesterday." Spencer shook his head against him.

"Derek...I hate it when you're sad. It doesn't matter right now. You're sad. And...and Ms. Kelly told me that when people are sad, you give them a hug. But she told me to be careful and not hug too tightly." Spencer was now letting his grip a little more loose, snuggling against him on his side. "And, she told me that it's good to forgive. So I forgive." Derek was so ecstatic and so relieved, he didn't know what to say. So he climbed under the covers with Spencer, and the two brothers drifted off the sleep.

0-0-0-0-0

Breakfast was the healthiest meal of the day, Haley thought. So she insisted on having everyone up and early, savoring while it lasted until summer took full effect. Mostly it was her girls who had the hardest getting up in the morning. She understood, she was once their ages. The boys—her boys—would usually skyrocket out of bed. That's why she was so surprised when it was her girls who were up and ready and the boys were behind.

And that's when she saw a sight that warmed her heart.

Damn it, she didn't want to wake them up.

...Not before she took a picture.

"Boys, time to wake up," Haley shook them awake, while Derek whined and tried to turn away, Spencer shot upright like a rocket. "Oh no! We messed up the schedule! Oh no, no, no—"

"Spencer, it's okay. You still have time to eat breakfast." And it seemed so easy, it was all he needed to hear. He threw the covers off him and ran into the kitchen. Haley crossed her arms patiently, waiting for Derek to wake up.

Derek put the pillow over his head and groaned. "Five more minutes..." Haley shook her head, trying not to get a little amused, as horrible as it sounded.

"Can't do that, school today. Up." Derek groaned again, but dragged himself out of bed and entered the kitchen to see everyone else eating waffles. He grabbed a seat next to Spencer and put the waffles on his plate.

"Mom, dad," Derek said, hoping to get their attention. The two looked up curiously. Derek played with his food. "I want to stay here. I don't want to leave."

"Yay!" JJ shouted gleefully, rushing to his side and hugging him tightly. Spencer bounced excitedly in his seat, repeating the motion for about five seconds. Emily stayed silent, but a small smile grew on her face. How will their plan go today? Hotch and Haley didn't pretend to look surprised, they were, and they were ecstatic about it, but they didn't want to let it show. Not just yet. Hotch knew there was more to it by the tone of Derek's voice.

"But?" The other children with the exception of Derek almost glared at Hotch, seeming like he had ruined the happy moment. Now, Derek made sure he was looking at Emily while he said this:

"I want to see her. I want her to know that I won't be returning to her custody. Ever. Maybe tomorrow _after_ school?" Emily took the hint. This was a way of him saying that they weren't going to follow through with the plan, that it was off. She understood. She didn't want to risk getting in trouble when the graduation party was actually tomorrow. Originally, it was supposed to be next week, but Tara told me that plans had changed. Ugh, Tara...

"I guess we can tomorrow," Haley said, something was up right now, but decided to question it when they'd get there tomorrow.

"Remember, I have my graduation party," Emily reminded.

"Right, Tara will be with you the whole time?" Hotch asked, the teenager nodded.

"Home by ten, no later."

0-0-0-0-0

"So...that cute boy? That cute _mystery_ boy? Who is it?" Tara asked with a smirk, trying to crack this code. Emily scanned her classroom once more, sighing and shaking her head.

"I don't know. I haven't found the person, I guess. I don't know...can't you pick someone for me?" Tara giggled at how naïve Emily could be sometimes when it comes to boys.

"Oh, Em! You're so cute! And no, you should pick him yourself. Even if I know someone who kinda had a crush on you." Emily's eyes grew wide at the thought.

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"Please, tell me!" The thought of someone liking her in that suggested way still baffled her a little bit.

"He's in our grade."

"Well I don't know everyone in our grade."

The bell rang, signaling for them to go to their next class. Tara locked her arm with Emily's as they strode down the hall. "Right there!" let go of Emily's arm and pushed her toward the boy she was talking about, accidentally knocking into them. The boy didn't seem to mind, as he smiled when he saw her, "Hey I'm so sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. Er..." She trailed off a bit with her thoughts. He was really attractive. But, she really wanted to kill Tara for putting her in this situation. He just continued smiling at her, and put his hands in his pockets.

"Are you going to the party tomorrow?" She asked, a little shy. "I'm...I'm Emily Prentiss." She stuck her hand out. The boy took it and gave it a gentle shake.

"Ian Doyle."


	31. The Long Haul

**Disclaimer - I don't own Criminal Minds.**

 **A/N: Thank you Dex for being my 200th Reviewer! Eee!** **Jesus Christ, I feel like I'm in a writing high, since I wrote out a lot of things for TTC already. I couldn't resist NOT putting up this chapter.**

 **This one is a long one.**

* * *

Everything was so happy on this happy morning. The beautiful sun rays glowing with a summer feeling. It wasn't too hot to make someone pass out from exhaustion, but it was indeed hot enough to be trapped in its spell for the feeling of summer. School was to be over, and each and every one of the siblings, as well as Hotch and Haley were looking forward to it.

Haley was looking forward to the summer breeze and the beach. Hotch was looking forward to the sound of seagulls–though it annoyed the hell out of Haley–and the smell of barbeques. Spencer was looking forward to exceed in his reading abilities by reading every book he can acquire at their local library. Derek was looking forward to exercising, his therapist told him that exercising is a way good to stay healthy—physically and mentally. JJ is looking forward to using up all the coloring books and utensils that she'd been given for her eighth birthday that was a while ago. And Emily, be the teenager she was, looked forward to seeing her friends.

Haley was taking Derek to see his biological mother, that his decision was made. Emily was going out to a party for her eighth grade graduation coming up very shortly. Both were happening on the same day.

But although the birds were chirping with glee, and the sun was blazing with confidence of a new day, shit was about to hit the fan very soon.

* * *

"Derek," Haley said calmly, pulling up to the front of Fran's broken apartment. Sadly, it reminded her too much of Sandy's. "If you wanted to stay with us, how come you're visiting her?" Haley still couldn't grasp it. She vowed yesterday that she'd ask him that question that was lingering in her mind today. That question had been there for hours, and she was glad to get it out by now.

Derek had no problem answering that. He might as well tell her the truth.

"She never called. She never said anything that she said she was going to do. After I gave her that money, I never saw her again. I wanna know why."

Haley nodded in understanding, but she felt that there was something behind it. "Is that all?" Derek thought about it for way too long for him to say, "Sure." He got out of the car and slammed the door behind him. Haley got out of the car too, but when Derek saw her in the corner of his eye he spun around to face her, "Stay outside."

Haley's mouth gaped open wide. "Derek, I can't just leave you alone—"

"Just outside by the car," Derek interrupted calmly, "Please mom. If she sees you, she won't answer my questions. And when you see me go inside, you go up to the front of the door. It won't get loud, I promise." Haley sighed and bit her lip nervously. What could she do? What if Fran was dangerous? Derek couldn't be alone with her, could he? But then again, Derek was strong, he'd use his words carefully. Plus, she'd be right outside if anything drastic happened.

"Okay," she said, still sounding a little worried. "But call for me, please if anything happens."

* * *

"More mascara?" Emily asked Tara, who was putting on deep red lipstick. She looked at Emily's pale skin and shook her head.

"I'd put blush on now. You look like a ghost." Emily did so, blending the product into her snow-like skin. "So...I met Ian Doyle." Tara flashed a knowing grin, she knew for a fact that Ian Doyle was practically infatuated with her, hearing him talk about how pretty Emily was. Now, when Tara realized Emily was blushing–not due to her makeup–that the feeling was mutual.

"Ah, so you picked your first kiss." Emily thought about it for a second, before nodding enthusiastically.

"We talked for a bit," she let out a small smile, "We were both late to class because of it."

"Obviously. I saw," Tara said, she smiled at the small mirror. "Look at how pretty we look. I hope your dad won't kill you. You are wearing more than normal makeup." Emily and Tara ran down the stairs so they wouldn't be seen, as Emily shouted to her dad, "Bye dad! We'll be home by ten!"

"Okay sweetheart," said Hotch, not looking up from his papers as the girls slammed the door behind them. As soon as that door slammed, Hotch felt something funny in his stomach.

* * *

Derek knocked on the door twice. He took one breath in, and another breath out. Of course he was nervous. He didn't want Haley to see how nervous he was. After a while, he considered the fact that Fran wasn't even home. He knocked one more time, before he heard a voice from the other side of the door, "One second!" He heard the sound of rustling, the kind of rustling that you heard when you were trying to hide something. When Derek noticed that, he burst through the door and saw his biological mother in the worst condition.

High as a fucking kite. Just like his nightmare. What was she on? He didn't know, and he didn't fucking care.

Fran looked like a deer caught in the headlights. The needles were scattered in some places, as well as white powder, which could be either cocaine or heroin. He saw three bottles of strong alcohol. It didn't help now that her frumpy hair was all over the place, with her pupils constricted and bloodshot.

"Hello, Fran."

She didn't even bother to look ashamed now. "Derek. Is that how you talk to your mother?"

"Who says I want to be your son?" He closed the door behind him and crossed his arms in disapproval of Fran. Her eyes were flaring madly, but it didn't match her tone of voice, which was more controlled. "Ah. What changed?"

"Is this what you used my money for?" Derek asked, finding himself getting angrier and angrier, "You used the money for...this _trash?!_ I gave you that money for you to get back on your feet!"

"Derek—"

"You didn't give me one phone call. As soon as you have me that money, you weren't going to speak to me again! Not until after you got me for all the wrong reasons! Sure, you made a bunch of promises to get me back, but it was never about that! It was about money! Me!" He was now in a rage, he was surprised that Haley hadn't come through by now, "A ten year old kid supporting his mother to get money! How _stupid_ is that?! I am the child! You're the _mother._ " He spat the last word harshly. "It was never about me, was it? It's the shit going through your veins right now." Derek swallowed a lump in his throat, now his eyes grilling into hers, wondering how she'd react to that statement.

"...You got me." Fran almost sounded sheepish. "I think...you and I both knew that. You wanted hope. I knew you'd get hopeful. But...what's this really about? You came here for a reason."

"Where's my father?" Derek asked, getting straight to it. He noticed her eyes changed quickly, as if something to hide. He went on, "You haven't mentioned him once. Where's my father?" Now, it was her turn to get angry. But, it came off as sounding sad more than the former.

"How the hell should I know? He left! He was no better than me!"

"You know where he is! I know you do!" Derek shouted accusingly. "Did those drugs mess with your brain that badly?!" Then, Fran was going to make a bold move. Right in front of her son, she took the needle that she had gotten before, and that she was going to shoot up with. She chuckled lightly, "Say whatever you want. But you don't know the euphoric feeling." Expecting her to put the drug in her own veins, she held out the needle for her son, "Why don't you try it? I know your curious." At that moment, Derek stared at the needle. That needle that broke his family apart. That needle that ruined any sort of happiness that had occurred between him and his mother.

He knocked that garbage out of her hand. "Go to hell." He said, dangerously low. Fran shrugged, "Then I don't know where your father is." Derek understood what was going on now, what she was playing at.

"That's so fucked up. You can't bribe me. I'll find out another way where my father is. Keep destroying your life, I don't give a fuck anymore. The Hotchner's are the best family I've ever had. And if you continue to try to get me back in your custody, I will make sure to tell everyone in court what the fuck you just did." At that point, he was so fed up that he walked away and slammed the door behind him. He saw Haley's worried face.

"Derek...I'm so sorry. I should've been in there, I—"

"It's over," said Derek, giving her a victorious smile. He looked both ways, scared someone might jump them in this neighborhood, so he locked his arm with Haley's. "So mom, what's for dinner?"

* * *

The party was loud, insane, and—mostly loud.

As in, the walls were shaking.

The music was blasting so loud that the bass was in the beat of Emily's heart, thumping wildly at the adrenaline. She could barely hear the clustered conversations over the bumping music, but the laughter and shouts of glee were definitely noticeable.

The first thing Emily saw Tara do as soon as she got into the house was to drink a shot. When she offered one to her, Emily politely declined and settled for a soda. Tara had to shout in her ear in order to be heard, " _I think that Ian wants to look for you! Go talk to him!"_ Emily nodded dumbly, trying to brush past the crowds to find Ian, who was sitting with a bunch of friends surrounding the television, drinking some beer.

"Ian?" Emily shouted to him, hoping to get his attention. Luck was on her side, as he walked away from his friends and leaned against the wall near Emily, "Hey. How's the party?" Emily smiled, although feeling a little awkward and shy.

"Uh, I just got here."

"I guess you wanted to be fashionably late?" Ian said with a chuckle, looking her up and down. Emily chuckled lightly, pulling back a strand of hair that kept getting front of her face. She struggled with it for a little bit, before Ian laughed again and said, "Let me." He took that strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear, but let his hand linger for a little longer, admiring her beauty.

Emily felt ecstatic and tingly. "Wow, thanks." He put his hand down.

"Anytime," he said, he glanced at the sight of an empty room. They talked for a few minutes, while Ian glanced at that same room every five seconds. It wasn't long until he asked, "Say, do you wanna move somewhere more quiet?" Emily bit her lip, and then she spotted Tara who gave her an encouraging nod, a signal that she was going to get her first kiss in that room. She looked at Ian and nodded. "Sure."

Ian lead Emily into the dark bedroom, gently taking her hand in his, while shutting the door behind him. Emily gave him a curious look, but still kept her smile up. Ian chucked slightly, "It's...so noisy out there, you know?" She nodded in understanding, her brown eyes looking into his, so stunning and it made her feel all jittery inside.

Ian took Emily's other hand into his other hand as well. He pressed his forehead gently against hers, the smell of beer from his breath for once didn't bother Emily as she laughed against her kindly. "You're so adorable." Emily giggled and her forehead was pressing back into his, her nose almost touching his nose. "Am I now?" Ian no longer pressed his forehead against hers, looking straight in her eyes when he said, "Yeah." Suddenly he kissed her tenderly on the lips. Happily, she returned the kiss back. _Her first kiss._ It tastes like beer, but she didn't care. She felt inexperienced compared to him, but she savored the kiss gently.

Ian let go of her lips and whispered in her ear. "Can we go to the bed?" Emily hesitated for a minute, before complying with a small but reluctant smile on her face. She nodded and Ian grabbed her, not so gently but not too harshly on the bed, meant for thrill and excitement. He laughed against her while he was kissing her neck. Emily laughed awkwardly back, before she felt a little pain, "Ian? You're hurting me a bit."

"Oh, my bad," Ian said, moving over a little bit so she'd be in less pain. He started kissing her again, hoping she wouldn't notice that he was reaching in his back pocket for something square, but she did notice. "Ian, what are you doing?—what?"

He continued to kiss her roughly, more than before as he put the condom on. When she realized what it was, she shook her head against him furiously.

"Um, no! I don't think so! I'm not doing—" she tried to get up, "Ian, you're—" She almost successfully got up, before Ian reached toward her and yanked her back onto the bed.

"Shut the fuck up and stay here!" He pinned her down on the bed with agonizing force, making Emily wince in pain as he kept kissing her neck forcefully.

"Get the fuck off me! You're..." Emily felt wet tears run down her cheeks, realizing what was going to happen now. "You're _hurting_ me! Ian, stop!" But Ian just laughed at her pleas, finding them ridiculous.

"You purposely bumped into me yesterday. You think I didn't know that was a sign that you wanted to fuck me?"

"I said no, Ian! Why are you still..." She paused, trying to think. "Ian get off of me!" She tried to yell louder, hoping someone would hear over the loud music. "Stop it! I said no!" Then, with all of her might, she screamed, " _I SAID FOR YOU TO GET OFF OF ME!"_ She found an opening to escape, and kicked him in the groin as hard as she could, making him let go of her and groan in pain.

"You stupid fucking bitch! That hurt!"

Emily at first stood there, completely in shock what almost could've happened to her. Though her instincts were screaming at her to run. Run in case he chased after her. Then she ran out of the house, tears streaming down her face and running somewhere that she knew she'd be safe at.

Home.


	32. Not By Blood, But By Heart

**Disclaimer - I don't own Criminal Minds**

0-0-0-0-0

Everyone with the exception of Emily, who was at the party, was sitting at the table and eating their dinner. It consisted entirely of Spencer separating his food to avoid textures, Derek moving his food around his plate distractedly, and JJ who was the only child eating her food.

"Do you think they serve food at these parties?" Haley asked Hotch from across the table, she took a bite of squash, "I mean...their parents do feed the kids, right?" Hotch snorted in amusement, and even Derek cracked a smile. JJ and Spencer didn't understand.

"Haley, it's a party. You have been to a party when you were thirteen, right?" Hotch asked, on the verge of breaking into a smirk. "They order their own food. There are no parents." Hotch couldn't help but feel his stomach sink when he said that last sentence. "But I trust Emily, it's just that—"

"It's the other kids that you don't," Haley finished knowingly, with a grin. "It's true." Haley and Hotch began to eat in silence, until Derek got tired of playing with his food and started to talk.

"Do you think that I'll be able to get adopted now?" Derek took a bite in his food, while JJ and Spencer looked very upset at his question.

"But Derek! You have to get adopted!" JJ exclaimed dramatically. "Who am I going to color with?"

"You color out of the lines," said Spencer knowingly.

JJ was mildly annoyed. "You thought a sad face meant the person was constipated."

"You can't even spell constipated."

"JJ, Spencer, enough. Stop fighting and eat your dinner," Hotch admonished lightly. "What was your question Derek?"

"My adoption. How will this work?"

"If your biological mother—"

" _Fran,"_ Derek corrected.

Hotch pretended not to be phased. "—refuses to sign the papers and actually tries to get you back, I say you mention everything you can about her apartment," said Hotch.

"I don't think there will be a problem about that," said Haley, looking to the side and picking at her food, like she was planning something.

 _SLAM!_

Whatever thoughts Haley had at that moment vanished as soon as she saw her thirteen year old daughter, with her makeup ruined due to the tears running down her face, slammed the door and marched upstairs, looking completely distraught. This was followed by another door slamming, which was the room she shared with JJ.

Immediately Haley was the first to move out of her seat to go upstairs to follow her. JJ, Spencer, and Derek also tried to get up quickly but Hotch shook his head and took action right away. "Hey, hey, _hey_!" He got louder each time, which stopped them at different points on the stairs. He pointed to the table, "Get down and finish your dinner," he ordered.

The three did so, slowly going down the stairs and back to their seats. Hotch sighed to himself. He didn't want to come across as mean. Stern maybe, but he never wanted to be a drill sergeant. Sometimes, he had to, he couldn't have three of Emily's siblings bombarding her with questions, and as badly as he wanted to comfort Emily, he knew someone had to watch over the other children.

The rest of dinner was eaten in silence.

0-0-0-0-0

"Emily, open the door. What happened? What's wrong?" Haley asked, worry dripping from her voice as she frantically knocked on the door for a third time. "Emily, please tell me what's wrong? Was it something at the party?"

"Go away!" Emily cried out from the other side of the door, sounding like she had been crying for an awfully long time now. She didn't shout at Haley, she sounded more upset opposed to angry. On the inside, Emily was fuming at Ian, fuming at the whole party, but especially, fuming at herself for not being able to see through the facade known as Ian Doyle.

"Emily, you're going to have to open it sometime, where will JJ sleep?" Haley tried to use simple logic, but Emily saw right through it.

"We have one more bedroom she could sleep in! Or on the couch, I don't care! She can't come in here! She'll...she'll _hate_ me." Now, Haley was even more curious than before. What did JJ have to do with this?

"What do you mean? Please, Emily. You can tell me, just open the door for me?" She asked hopefully, and luck was on her side as Emily unlocked the door and opened it. Haley got only a glimpse of her tear strained face since she went back to her bed and cried into her pillow. Haley noticed that she'd quickly changed into the comfort of her pajamas. She immediately sat down beside Emily and ran her fingers through her hair, knowing it always comforted her.

"Sweetie, do you wanna tell me what's wrong now?" Haley murmured quietly. Emily shot upright and faced Haley, the look Emily gave her was breaking her heart. "The party...there was some _guy._ I wanted to have my first kiss—" she broke into another fit of sobs, and Haley used her hand to rub small circles on her back, "And?"

"I got my first kiss!" She sobbed, sounding more upset about it than happy, but Haley didn't understand that due to not knowing the drama behind all that.

"But sweetie, isn't that what you wanted?" Haley pressed gently, but it was clearly the wrong thing to say when Emily burst into tears once more, clearly there was something she wasn't getting at.

"No! That's _all_ I wanted! That's all I—" she cut herself off, so overcome with the whole thing that she buried her face in her pillow. Haley was listening to this more and more, and the more Emily implied what she was implying, the more nervous and angry Haley got. She grabbed her by the shoulders, not too roughly, just to make her look her in the eyes. "What happened?"

"He was so charming and nice and I...I didn't know how first kisses worked! I didn't know whether you went into a bedroom and I just—" she broke into another fit of distressed sobs and continued, "I was clueless! He asked if I wanted to go to the bedroom and me, being stupid, was like, 'okay'! God, mom I'm so stupid!" She began to punch her pillow in frustration, "Stupid, stupid, _stupid!_ —"

"You're not stupid. Hey, hey, hey. Shh..." Haley consoled her gently, reaching out her hand to place it over Emily's fist, "Then what happened?"

"We began to kiss, it was simple, and it was so easy. And he asked if we could move to the bed, and I was _stupid_ and—"

"You're not stupid," Haley murmured quietly, but she didn't think Emily heard her as she kept explaining.

"–and I went into the bed. He pushed me on the bed, and we began to kiss some more, and then he started to get rough with me and he said he was sorry, but he wasn't. He reached into his back pocket, and pulled out a condom!" Haley's heart was beating faster and faster, she was getting closer to the fatal conclusion.

"He put it on, and I said no! I said I didn't want to! But he didn't listen! He was about to undress me, and—"

Haley gripped Emily's shoulders. "Did he _hurt_ you?"

"He almost did! I...I kicked him in the _area,_ and I ran! I just ran! I d-didn't I didn't know what to—He could've—" Haley wrapped her arms around the teenager who began to cry out her last set of years until she couldn't anymore. "He could've _raped_ me!"

"Honey, I am _so_ proud of you, you knew what to do! You did what you had to do in order to protect yourself!" Haley said immediately, full of pride. But Emily shook her head against her, still sobbing loudly, "That's why JJ would hate me! Because I made it! She...She didn't. She had to face her own father, she never stood a chance!" And that's when it clicked. Emily was able to empathize with JJ now, something she always wished that she could do. But now that she did, it sucked. She wished she could forget it, but she never would.

"First off, JJ could never hate you. That little girl, who has all the right to be angry at the world, does not have a hateful bone in her body. She may say she hates something or someone, but she'll forget all about it in a minute and invite you to color with her." Emily laughed a little, knowing that JJ was the kind of person to do that. "Second of all–JJ would be proud of you. She wouldn't want that to happen to anyone, especially to you. And if she knew that you prevented it, she'd be ecstatic." Emily melted in her embrace, thankful for the comfort.

"I love it here, you know that, right?" Haley placed a motherly kiss on her forehead.

"I do," said Haley with a smile. She began to get up, "I need to tell your father about this." Emily nodded in understanding, but Haley continued to talk, "I'll make sure no one comes up here, alright?" Emily nodded and hugged her pillow into her chest as Haley left her room while shutting the door behind her.

0-0-0-0-0

"When can we go back upstairs?" whined JJ to Hotch, staring at her empty plate, "We finished eating! Can we go now?"

"No, you can't," Hotch said, glancing up the stairs wondering for himself what was going on, "We have to wait until Haley comes down." And just like that, he saw Haley trotting down the stairs at a new record speed. This resulted in the three kids to rush out at the speed of light until Hotch yelled out, "Halt!" JJ, who was all the way in the front, stopped in front of Haley on the way.

"But you said—"

"Haley?" Hotch asked Haley, silently asking if it was okay to go upstairs. She nodded and looked toward her kids, "Boys, go to your room, and take JJ with you. Stay away from Emily's room."

"Is Emily in trouble?"

"No, Spencer, she isn't. But promise to stay out of her room. All of you. Kapeesh?"

"Kapeesh," Spencer repeated back, running up the stairs to his room.

"It's about time!" Derek shouted while running.

"Let's play Candyland!" JJ cheered while running into their room and shutting the door behind them.

"Haley...what happened?" Haley explained the entire story to him, not leaving one detail out. Hotch's face grew more and more red as she told him everything Emily told her, his muscles were getting tighter, and he was boiling as hot as lava...

 _Meanwhile..._

"What do you guys think is up with Emily?" Asks JJ, who was setting up the board game. Derek, who forgot all about his situation, looked especially worried now.

"I don't know. It looks bad, but...let's just play now, alright? We don't want Emily to get mad at us."

"Did you know that Candyland was made in the 1940s?" Spencer said, about to go into a long ramble about the game, "It was to originally help pass the time with kids who had polio, which was common during the time and also—"

"Easy, kid. It's _just_ a board game," Derek interrupted quietly, hoping to prevent him from becoming too excited when he talked. He went back to JJ's question from before, "I know how you feel. I wanna say something to, but...I don't wanna feel the heat of Emily's wrath."

"Yeah, but...she's my big sister. I wanna make everything better for her."

"She's _my_ big sister too," Derek reminded, not harshly, but firmly, "There's...there's almost so much we can do, you know. I just don't want her angry at me like she always is."

"She's not always angry at you," JJ said, sounding upset that Derek would even think that, "She's just a moody person."

Derek shrugged. "Yeah, I guess—"

" _SON OF A BITCH!"_ That thunderous sentence that came from Hotch made all the children jump in fright, never hearing him yell like that before. It was so loud, that each of them silently agreed that even Emily probably jumped up of pure shock.

"What's a bitch?" asked Spencer curiously.

"A female dog," answered Derek, still in quite of a shock. To their surprise, they heard a knock on the door. It opened a little, to reveal Emily, her eyes being all red from crying.

"Emily?" Derek asked, standing up and moving toward her, "What's wrong?" He now stepped to the side to let her in, and sat cross legged between JJ and Spencer and sniffled.

"I don't want to talk about it, alright? Can we...can I just play this game with you guys?" Emily asked, on the verge of begging. JJ and Spencer looked at Derek as if it were his decision, and he already made it. There was no way he was going to turn away from her now, not ever. Something bad had happened, and she needed a friend—a brother.

"Pick whatever character you'd like," Derek said softly, sitting down with JJ and Spencer, across from Emily, "Candyland is boring without you anyway." Emily couldn't help but smirk as they began to play.

0-0-0-0-0

"Aaron!" Haley admonished, looking at him sternly after he screamed. "I'm pretty sure everyone in this house heard that! _Spencer_ heard that, Aaron, he's only four! He doesn't need to hear that!"

"That little bastard at that party tried to rape my daughter!" Hotch snapped, looking well beyond angry, that would now be an understatement. Furious, maybe. Full of loathing toward the boy who tried to hurt his Emily, more likely. "These children are thirteen and fourteen! What kind of neighborhood do we live in—where thirteen year old boys become _predators?_ "

"Aaron—"

"You know _what?_ " Hotch started off, looking like he was going to go into a long winded rant, "Maybe we should be glad that we weren't able to conceive! Imagine if we brought in a child that was exposed to what our kids have been exposed to!" Now Haley was getting upset, this was getting too close to home. They have avoided this for far too long.

"Aaron..."

"Was the world trying to tell us something?!" Hotch shouted, getting furious to the point where he couldn't hear Haley's quiet protests anymore, "The reason that we weren't able to conceive, was because the world is too _fucked_ up for us to have kids?!"

Tears were welling in Haley's eyes. "Aaron, please—"

"Look at what was happened to our family, _to our kids!_ " Hotch shouted, he was now looking at the sky, like he was talking directly to god, "There's so much pain...there is so much suffering, I _feel_ for our kids, we never experienced what they have experienced, _ever!_ And sometimes I wished I was in their shoes, to take away all the pain, like a father would want to do for their kids, but I can't! No one can! But you know I wish I could! Is this _god_ trying to tell us to be thankful that you couldn't get pregnant?! That we shouldn't have gotten involved in the foster program—"

" _AARON, STOP!"_ Haley yelled over him, hoping for her pleas to get through to him. Hotch, shocked that she yelled like that, froze completely and ceased his rant. Haley even surprised herself, finding she was capable of even getting that loud. She steadied herself, taking a step back to calm herself down from her sudden outburst. "Aaron...for you to even doubt yourself...I'm shocked. We wanted kids, and we _got_ kids. We agreed that no matter what issues that they had, no matter what problems they had, we'd always love them. And as for JJ and Derek's biological parents that gave up on them? That's their own loss."

Haley wiped away a falling tear. "Did you know that sometimes I _still_ have nightmares of that terrible day—"

"Haley, don't—"

"–when we were told by that stupid doctor that we couldn't have children! Well guess what?" Haley looked at Hotch straight in the eye and gripped his shoulders tightly and shook them, "We proved him wrong!"

Haley wasn't even finished, but she didn't miss her husband's eyes shining with tears that could fill an ocean.

"Aaron, do you even realize what you're saying? What if...what if this is a blessing in disguise? Imagine if we had never met these four kids. Aaron, they're the light of my life. And you know what? I think you're scared, you're scared because you feel the same way, and you don't know how to handle it, because your love for them is so strong that it hurts you to see them hurt."

Hotch didn't know how quiet he was, but it was for a real long time. He absorbed everything that Haley said, and damn it, she was right. He considered them to be his children, and he proved many times, that he would do anything for them. Terrified, he was to become a father in such short time, but he cherished it. What if this was a blessing in disguise? What if this is what their plans were supposed to be?

"We can do this together," Haley said after a while. "Please, Aaron. Use your head. I know you want to adopt them, and we are going to. It's coming very very soon." She took his hands in hers, "I could feel the clock ticking...I feel us losing time. But don't ever doubt that we can't do this, because we have, and we're going to do it once again." Hotch could only silently nod, feeling so powerless in the situation. Haley gave him a long kiss on the lips, before letting go gently. "Good. Now how are we going to take care of this? Think Aaron, you're smart." Hotch sighed and cleared his emotional thoughts. Now was the time to do the thing they did best, how to handle a crisis. All their rational thoughts had to come intact now.

"I'll take care of the situation with Emily," Hotch said after thinking for a long time. "You still have to talk to Fran, because of the papers you're going to make her sign." Haley nodded, smiling within his kisses.

"Great, now let's march upstairs and take care of our kids, although not related to us by blood, but by heart and the love we hold inside for them."

0-0-0-0-0

 **A/N: This was, in my opinion, one of the most intense chapters I have ever written, and I loved every second of it. It reminded me that I was so glad that I was able to share this story with you guys, a story that I've had in my head for such a long time. I want to thank my reviewers and followers for standing by me, and encouraging me to continue this story. But, fear not, this story isn't over yet!**

 **Also, a shout out to one of the authors that inspired me to write this story — ficdirectory. If you don't know who this is, this amazing author wrote the What Makes a Family series, which got me into my own foster family story — The Troubled Children.**

 **Please, if you haven't read the WMAF series, please do so. You'll understand why and how I was inspired due to that masterpiece.**


	33. Momma's Boy and Daddy's Girl

**Disclaimer- I don't own Criminal Minds.**

 **Thank you for the reviews!**

 **You know what's scary? When your idol is reading your story...Lmao. It's okay though, _ficdirectory_ is actually very helpful since she's really knowledgeable when it comes to the foster system, and I don't know squat. I'm really thankful for her constructive criticism and praise.**

 **Thanks so much Ficdirectory, you rock! xx**

0-0-0-0-0

Hotch and Haley did march up the stairs to be with their children. The first thing they were going to do was to reassure JJ, Spencer, and Derek that everything was okay, and to apologize for getting too loud. They weren't fighting, they just had an argument that was over and done with. What they didn't expect to see was all of their children in a room together playing a game of Candyland. They almost didn't want to interrupt them.

"Guys," said Hotch, getting their attention. First JJ turned around with a high pitched gasp, which made everyone else either turn around or look up.

"Are you guys okay?" Derek asked the couple, which in return made the two of them laugh in amusement.

"Actually, that's a question that we should be asking you," Haley said with a smile, "Are you guys alright?"

JJ smiled a bit and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Me too," said Spencer.

"Me three," Derek said, grinning, while Spencer looked at him strangely.

"Me three? That doesn't make any sense."

"It's just a joke, Spence," JJ reassured him, holding back a chuckle along with everyone else. All that's left was Emily, who was quiet as a mouse but with a slight smile plastered on her face. Hotch crouched down next to her and said, "How about you? You alright?" After only a second of thinking, she sniffled and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, nodding quickly. "Yeah, I guess..."

"Can we talk for a minute?" Hotch asked, getting up from his position as Emily nodded and stayed silent and followed him to what probably was the living room, with Haley not falling that far behind.

The three children watched the door close, staring at it even longer when it was shut.

"So who's playing as Emily?" asked Spencer, getting JJ and Derek's attention back to the game.

0-0-0-0-0

"What do you want to do about this?" Hotch first and foremost asked Emily. She shrugged carelessly and picked at her nails distractedly.

"I'm obviously gonna open up in therapy about it."

"—and what else?" Hotch kept pressing, which made Emily stop focusing on her nails, looking up at Hotch confusedly.

"What else is there? He didn't actually rape me, you know."

"He almost did. Attempted rape is considered a crime if you press charges," said Hotch, explaining the legal process calmly, "And even if he says he never attempted rape or that it was consensual, it's still illegal for minors to have sex whether both consented or not. That's called statutory rape. How old is he?"

"Fourteen."

"Do you want to press charges?"

Emily contemplated it for a moment. "To be honest, I just don't want to see him again. I think he knows not to mess with me, you know? Maybe that because this backfired on him, that he'll stop...he's only fourteen, after all."

Hotch sighed. "That's my point, Emily. He's _fourteen._ Imagine what he'll be like when he's seventeen and he rapes someone else—"

"He won't, because his attempt failed," Emily argued back, getting more tired by the second, "Besides, he's probably nervous that I will press charges. I think him worrying is punishment enough." Hotch looked at Haley for some guidance on this, but she stayed silent, motioning him to say something to her.

"...Okay." Hotch settled on saying, "Emily, I love you. You understand me? If you want me to put this kid in a coma—"

"Dad!" Emily exclaimed, sounding horrified. Haley couldn't hide her smirk as Hotch pulled Emily into a hug.

"What?!" He exclaimed back, laughing in amusement, "Nobody touches my daughter."

0-0-0-0-0

The next morning, Haley knocked on Fran's apartment door patiently, though she really didn't want to put up a fight with her, which she felt like she was going to do. Derek told her everything about his confrontation, even though Haley had heard most of it. The one thing that stuck out the most was that Fran tried to offer her son drugs. It made her sick to her stomach. Though she felt prideful when Derek said no, that he was able to say no to his biological mother. She knew that Derek would make the right choice.

The door opened, revealing Fran. The woman flashed her eyes at her, "Do I know you? Are you going to arrest me?"

Oh, she was going to put up a fight most definitely.

"No, I don't have the authority, but if I could, I would." Fran eyed her, now angrier than before, but now she knew who this could be. The blonde woman who had stood in her way from getting him back. Even, if it was for unorthodox purposes.

"So you're the bitch lady looking after my son."

Haley glared at her. "He's not your son."

"He is," Fran looked her up and down, "You could never be a mother, right?" She grins, intentionally trying to be spiteful to her, "I bet it hurts for you to see someone who can bear children, and just give them up, right?"

Haley continued to glare, if not, more intensely as Fran continued.

"What's he word they use for people like you, _infertile?_ "

"This isn't about me—"

" _So,_ " Fran interrupted loudly over her, "Your stomach is really flat."

"Shut up."

"You rich white people take him in as your own...what is he to you, your slave?"

"I treat him like a mother is supposed to treat their son. It's clear he's not your son."

"Is too."

"You offered him drugs," Haley spat out in disgust, there was no way in hell that she was backing down now. "A mother wouldn't do that for a son."

Fran seemed to contemplate for a minute before saying, "I did. Now what do you want? Are you actually going to have someone arrest me?"

"No, you can keep doing your...thing," Haley said, but Fran knew there was something behind that, a condition. And just like she thought, Haley put the adoption papers in front of her, as well as a pen. "Sign it." Fran immediately knew what it was, she turned away.

"No way in hell am I signing that."

"Oh really now?" Haley said, with a smirk. "Then I'll just casually say that you're unfit to take care of Derek. How you've been toking up for years, how you have possession of god-knows how many narcotics in your house," Haley took a breath, she wasn't done being cruel just yet, "Or I can anonymously mention that there's a junkie in 1E, and you'd probably got o jail." Fran stared directly at her, feeling pent up anger at the woman standing before her. How she could smirk and be so righteous.

"Are you _threatening_ me?"

"Don't mess with my son." Was Haley's answer, her smirk disappearing completely. Tense silence was between them for a moment, before Fran started to smirk.

"Look at you, thinking you're so high and mighty."

"From the looks of it, _you look high_ and mighty."

Fran's smirk vanished and grabbed the papers and signed them with a cruel grudge. "You better keep your promise." Haley took the pen back, as well as the papers. She began to walk away and say, "I will. Have a good life."

0-0-0-0-0

"Zip!" Emily shouted.

"Zap!" JJ followed after.

"Zop!" Spencer said aloud while facing Derek, dragging his right palm across his left palm swiftly, which he pulled back in the process.

"Zip!" Derek said aloud, repeating the same motion Spencer did but to JJ, who repeated that motion and faced Spencer, "Zap!" Spencer faced Emily and shouted, "Zop!"

Zip, Zap, Zop was a game that the four of them got used to very quickly and thoroughly enjoyed all the way through. It was for all ages, even Emily joined in with them. It all started a while back with Spencer's para, Ms. Kelly, telling him about the game and how it taught focus, body language, maintaining eye contact, to help with sensory issues, and other communication skills.

The game is pretty simple: You face someone, drag your hand across your other one quickly and directed to the same person you want, while shouting Zip, zap, or zop. Since it's a pattern, it has to remain in that order. The game gets faster and faster, and if the pattern is messed up, you're eliminated. The game continues until one person is left standing.

JJ, Emily, and Derek can agree on one thing—Spencer has probably made the most eye contact with them during the game. This was beneficial. Hell, the kid enjoyed to shout out and emphasize the word that was being said. They saw the excitement in his eyes, and when the three of them were able to meet those excited eyes, it would make them feel warm and happy for _days._

Hotch was sitting at the table, reading the paper like he usually did. He couldn't help but grin slightly at the uproar of laughter from his own kids. The shouts and gleeful sounds of them in enjoyment, away from all the horrible drama that they've been through, and for that Hotch was entirely grateful for this moment.

Their game was interrupted when Haley had walked through the door. This garnered the attention of Hotch first, who had put the paper down and got up to Haley's side. Right when Emily shouted "Zip!" to JJ, and saw the little blonde staring at Haley instead of her, she stopped what she was doing. Haley was hiding something behind her back, but Derek knew exactly what it was and grinned widely. Emily began to understand too, and broke into a smile of realization. When JJ finally took the hint, she couldn't hide the high-pitched gasp that escaped from her. Spencer looked over at Derek and hugged him tightly. Haley finally showed them the approved adoption papers and let out a squeal, prompting everyone— _everyone_ —to lose their minds.

Derek shouted at the top of his lungs in victory, being the final one of the family to be approved for adoption. He hugged Haley and Hotch tighter than he had ever hugged them before, grateful for the contact. Then, he hugged his little brother, making sure not to hug him too tightly but Spencer didn't seem to care—as he was hugging back very tightly as well. He hugged his little sister JJ, who was still squealing that high pitched squeak he knew and loved. Last, but not least, he hugged his big sister Emily, who in a short amount of time, he has been through thick and thin with, and was so glad it was her.

"We're getting adopted!" JJ cheered, jumping up and down in excitement. " We're getting adopted! We're getting adopted!" She hugs her little brother in excitement. "Spence, guess what?!"

"What?"

"We're getting adopted!" JJ shouted one last time. And when she said it that last time, it hit all of the four siblings at once.

 _We're getting adopted._


	34. Therapy

**Disclaimer- I don't own Criminal Minds**

 **A/N: The chapter after this one will be the final chapter of TTC. The conclusion to this story is coming up sooner than expected. Don't be sad, because like I said before, there will be a sequel to this story, which is centered around Penelope's arrival to the Hotchner family.**

0-0-0-0-0

 _Months later..._

"Derek, you're going to be adopted very soon. What do you think of that?" His therapist Jason Gideon asked. Although Derek tried to appear level-headed and cool, Jason knew better. The boy couldn't contain his excitement. His hands were shaking, for gods' sake. Plus, he tried so hard to cover up that smile that keeps wanting to creep up on his face.

"The best moment of my life is when mom came home with the approved adoption papers, that Fran signed away her rights."

"Fran?" Jason prodded, noticing Derek didn't call her 'mom'. He leaned back and his chair, "So you consider Haley to be your mother."

"Absolutely," Derek confirmed, not even looking a little unsure like he used to be about Haley. "She's looked after me way better than _Fran_ ever did."

"And Aaron?"

"He's the definition of a cool dad. I was scared shitless of—oh sorry—I was _scared to death_ of him at first, but he's strong and smart. Once you get passed his stern facade he likes to put up for everyone, he's nice."

"Do you know about the whereabouts of your biological father?" Jason asked, knowing that Derek never spoke about or to the man, only his mother.

Derek shook his head no. "I want to...maybe someday."

"Your siblings are going to get adopted with you together. How does that make you feel?"

"I love all of them," Derek said honestly. "The past seven years that I've been in the system, I've never had a close relationship with any of my foster siblings until I came here. Emily is the best big sister. Spencer is the little brother I never had. I'd do anything to protect my little sister JJ."

"Oh?" Jason said with a smile, nodding for him to go on.

"Yeah...I can relate to JJ with certain things. There are times where I wish I was like her."

"How so?" Derek smiled.

She's just...so happy all the time, even with what she's been through. It's almost similar to me, and she's so forgiving and sweet." Derek took a breath, "She likes to color. She always wants to help others and give them hugs." He silently remembered what she said to him a while ago. _Touches that aren't hugs hurt._ That was so relatable, and it made him shudder inside.

"She got so upset with me when I was mean to someone, and if I made anyone sad. She once got so angry at me because I didn't have my decision with Fran."

"What about your older sister?" Jason asked. Derek gave him a weak smile, a smile that says that the person with it had gone through an ordeal. And with him and Emily, it was an understatement.

"Emily and I hated each other at first, you know? We bicker and argue all the time, but—" Derek cut himself off, memories of darkness clouding his mind. "She was the first person I told about _it._ "

"Elaborate," said Jason, although he knew exactly what he was referring to. He wanted Derek to work on actually saying it and be more open.

"The sexual abuse," Derek said, sighing a little. "She encouraged me to tell mom and dad. She tried to get me to understand about Fran, that she wasn't good for me. She explained that it was important. She always protected me. I feel it's important to do the same."

"To do what?"

"Protecting our siblings. We stand up for each other. Like my little brother Spencer." He paused just for a minute to word what he was going to say about him. "Spencer is the smartest person I know and he's going to be five soon. But...you know he's autistic. He has trouble with things socially and I don't want people to bully him like some teacher did. A teacher! Can you believe it? Aren't teachers supposed to be helpful?"

"Some teachers aren't there for the reason the say they are," Jason supplied.

"I think that's mean. I just hope he makes a friend soon," says Derek.

"Is there anything you're looking forward to?" Jason asked, with a knowing grin. Derek smirked and rested his head on the palms of his hands in a relaxed motion.

"What do you think?"

0-0-0-0-0

"So Emily...How do you feel about being adopted?" Her therapist, Elle Greenway asked, smiling at her knowingly. Emily sat back in the chair, feeling relaxed, content, and satisfied. At that moment, she didn't remember about the euphoric high she got from weed. This moment right here, the thought of her adoption coming soon, was the best high she ever felt.

"It's about time, I'm so grateful. First I graduated middle school, now I'm getting adopted." she said with a laugh. "I'll never forget when I threw a fit over my old mother's earrings but..." She placed her hand up to her ear, feeling the texture of the earrings that Haley had gotten her for Christmas.

"I think my late mother will always be with me," Emily settled on saying, as she put her hand down on her lap. "Haley is who I call mom now. I'm...I'm not trying to replace my actual mom or anything, it's that, she has stuck by me and is a wonderful mom. She's...she's very motherly. I guess I crave that, you know?"

"And Aaron?" Emily smiled at her father's first name. "I have much pride with the nickname I gave him. I was the first one to come up with it. As I gained more siblings, they started to call him a nickname that no one else used except for us. Hotch." Elle smiled at the fond nickname as Emily continued.

"He was absolutely clueless at first. Not going to lie. I mean, not everyday does your wife randomly take in a thirteen year old to foster without noting her husband, but he was jittery. Though he learned, and he really is a good dad. He was the first one to really trust me, you know?"

"And how do you feel about your siblings?" Elle pressed gently. Emily inhaled and exhaled a breath, knowing that she could go on for hours of she wanted to. This wasn't going to be a short topic at all.

She started with her little sister. "JJ and I didn't hit it off right away. To be honest, I straight up hated her because I enjoyed being the only child. I thought she was in the way. But then...I made her cry, and I thought she'd never forgive me." Emily had looked sad, but the following thought she had made her grin, "You know what she said when I apologized?" She let out a chuckle before answering, "She asked if we could color together. JJ has a heart full of gold, like her hair."

Emily took a breath, thinking of her youngest brother. "Spencer is such a sweetie. There are times where I understood him whenever he cried about missing his mother. I understood. I identified with him. You don't have to be autistic in order to identify with Spencer, I learned."

"That's very true," noted Elle.

"I thought I'd never be able to understand him," continued Emily, "I mean, how can you understand a four year old kid who hates the smell of fish and freaks out over it? How can you understand a four year old who likes a standard routine set out for him? But I somehow did. There was something that Spencer and I shared, and that was the love for our mothers."

And her other little brother, who made her laugh a little just thinking about him, "Derek was probably the most annoying brother I've ever had, and I mean that in a joking way. Honestly I think he's the most selfless person I've ever met. He's a pain in the ass sometimes, but I adore him. He always looked after me, especially when I was smoking. Even though we fight, I think both of us have definite trust with each other, and that'll never change."

"Oh?" Elle asked curiously.

"Both of us have this desire to protect the younger ones, we feel it's a duty, you know? I looked after JJ, and Derek looked after Spencer. Don't get me wrong, I adore Spencer and Derek loves JJ, but it's really just a—"

"Gender thing," Elle finished, seeing Emily's nod made her smile, "I get it. It's amazing how you went from detesting the idea of siblings to loving all three of them. You speak so highly of them."

Emily grinned.

0-0-0-0-0

"Hey Spencer?" Dr. Alex Blake asked gently, she was trying to get the attention of the four year old, who would rather clutch the _Theraputty_ toy she always had in her room and move it around with his fingers as opposed to looking at her in the eyes. Sometimes she'd have to say his name a few times to get his attention, but it always worked out in the end to get back on track. "Spencer." The boy continued to fidget with the toy, but he nodded his head twice to show that he was listening.

It was a start. "Spencer, do you want to tell me how you feel about staying with Haley and Aaron?" Spencer's eyes met with his therapist's but only for a few seconds.

"I like them a lot. Hotch, who is my daddy, calls me 'sport', and Haley, who is my mommy, would sing me to sleep like my literature professor mommy used to."

"Those are very nice things," Alex said to him, her smile warm and welcoming. "Do you see your mother often?"

"The literature professor? I see her once a month with my current mommy."

"How are your older siblings? They're nice to you, right?" Spencer nodded, even smiling a little as he began to fidget a little. This time he had no problem maintaining eye contact.

"JJ calls me Spence and helps me with the Facial Expressions Chart. Derek helps me with it too, but not as much as she does. JJ colors outside of the lines sometimes. Other than that, she's really good at drawing and lets me color with her."

"It's nice that JJ likes to help."

"She's a little peculiar though," Spencer said, who let go of the stress toy and put it back in the box. "She calls me Spence and wanted to dress me up in doll clothes. She has a stuffed horse named Willy, and she acts like it's real but it's just a toy. She uses lots of silly phrases and Ms. Kelly called them idioms."

"It's a figure of speech," Alex explained, "Those phrases are not meant to be taken literally."

"But that makes no sense," Spencer said, clearly bothered with the lack of logic.

"It's not supposed to. Now why don't you tell me about Emily?" Alex asked, changing their discussion. She swore she saw a small smile even if it was only brief.

"Emily goes to bed at 10:05 PM instead of 10, breaking the family schedule but..." He paused, remembering that Ms. Kelly said that he should think of some positives for a person. "...she misses her mommy like I miss mine, but her mommy is dead. She understands me and hugged me when JJ for upset one time, and sometimes she'd get mad, but she'd always say sorry."

"It's good to know she loves you. Now Derek?" This time Spencer didn't bother hiding his pride for his favorite brother.

"Derek sometimes tells me that I have to learn how to watch people for cues. He lets me read his comics though and helps me cut my food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He's my favorite brother. He always defends me when people say I'm weird. He protects me and gives me his books so we can read together. One time, I noticed he was _sad,_ like on the Facial Expressions Chart. And I hugged him and let him sleep next to me."

"You seem to have a very close relationship with your brother," Alex noted.

"I like having two big sisters too," Spencer made sure to say, although his time was leading toward the negatives. "But...they always liked to hug me and Emily once tried to put makeup on me. Ms. Kelly is helping me with hugs, and she said I was making good progress on that. But Derek gives me space if I'm having a Bad Day and he never shouts loudly at me because it would make the Bad Day even worse." Haley and Hotch, as well as Spencer's para and his therapist had a meeting one day to discuss with him about the meltdowns that he has. Spencer was becoming more aware of his condition, and he insisted and calling them Bad Days.

"You would say you're happy with everything as of right now?" Alex asked, jotting something down in her notebook. Spencer maintained eye contact and smiled for a long time.

"Yes. Like in the Facial Expressions Chart, I'm the happy face."

0-0-0-0-0

"JJ, how are you—"

"I'm getting adopted!" JJ squealed out to her therapist, Erin Strauss. The little girl couldn't help but bounce in her seat, "I've been waiting forever!" Erin tried to hide the smirk crawling up on her face. _Well, that answers my question._ "We all wanted to be adopted together! So we were waiting for Derek to get approved and he did! Can you believe it?!"

"Yes, I've heard you're very excited about that," Erin said, "I heard your biological mother is coming to see you get adopted? How is she doing?" JJ shrugged, her mood changing a little.

"I don't know. I've called her every other day and she said she feels like she's getting better, but I hope that's the truth."

"So you're excited overall? Knowing that you'll be permanently placed in Aaron and Haley's care?"

JJ gave her a confident grin. "I've always known that I'd find a home, in some way. I'm happy to have a sister again. And...And I'm happy to have two brothers, a younger one and an older one." JJ cleared her throat. "My mommy and daddy are going to take us to a restaurant after we're adopted so we can celebrate! I recommended McDonald's but they said we need something more formal."

Erin laughed at the girl's enthusiasm. "I'd imagine so. Your adoption is something to celebrate."

"McDonald's is a very high quality restaurant," JJ defended. "It has the best french fries."

"I agree with you," Erin said, looking amused. She cleared her throat and got back to business. "So your parents wanted me to address this since you're old enough. They said they've discussed Spencer with you—"

"Yes, mommy and daddy said he's autistic and that's a learning disability and that's why he's the way he is." JJ said to Erin, appearing demure and mature. "But I replace the 'u' with an 'r' because that means _artistic_ and that means he's very creative."

Erin smiled at this kind twist JJ managed to come up with. "Okay sweetie, but do you understand what that means—"

"Yes, I understand what it means!" JJ said, somewhat impatiently. "And I don't need you to say it again because Spence is still the same Spence I knew before mommy and daddy told me he was autistic. He's my baby brother and nothing will ever change that." JJ finished, huffing with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"I'm very proud of you, JJ," Erin said with her grin, "You really love Spencer."

"I'm the only one who calls him Spence," JJ says proudly, "He's the only younger sibling I have. I _have_ to help him with things. Like the Facial Expressions Chart and giving him hugs and to understand that when I say 'break a leg' it doesn't mean to throw himself down the stairs."

"The last thing you'd want is for him to be injured."

"Yeah!" JJ cheered. "He was sad when I was sad, which shows Spencer has a good heart."

"What about Derek and Emily? Are you excited about them?" JJ nodded happily, eager to talk about them.

"Derek's a good big brother. He colors with me and talked to me about what happened to him, much like what happened to me. He's very understanding and is nice toward Spence, which I like. He can be a very good listener. Sometimes he can be a little mean, like when Emily was babysitting and I cheered that the adults were gone and he covered my mouth, but he said people from China could hear me, which I guess is pretty bad and I was too loud."

"Are you glad he made the right decision to stay?"

"I am! I am, I am, I _am—"_

"Inside voices, JJ," Erin reprimanded gently, but even she couldn't hide her amused smile at how excited the small blonde was. "You're happy that Derek is staying."

"That's why I got mad at him before. I...I couldn't imagine getting adopted without him. I don't think any of us could. And Emily...she's my big sister, and I missed having a big sister ever since Rosaline..." She broke off that sentence, she wasn't going to let herself get upset over it. "...did what she did. I just hope that Emily would never ever do something like that, because she's the best thing to ever happen to me."

"You love your new family very much," Erin stated. JJ's teary eyes snapped up to meet in Erin's direction, looking more serious opposed to how carefree and bubbly she was.

"As Spence would say, that's an 'understatement'," JJ never looked so demure and serious in her entire life. She said one statement, a statement that she wanted to imprint in her therapist's mind.

"I was destined to be in this family and I'd fight anyone to stay in it, even though I don't have to, since I'll always be loved and accepted."

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 **A/N : I feel myself getting super sentimental that there's one more chapter to go :(**


	35. Adoption Day

**Disclaimer: Nope. I don't have it. I will _never_ have it. The dramatic, addicting, and beautifully written and acted show known as Criminal Minds will never be in my hands or possession. Ever.**

 **A/N: The final chapter of TTC. I'm not crying, I swear I'm not!**

 **I highly recommend listening to the song _Home_ by Phillip Phillips with this chapter. It fits so perfectly, in my opinion. It had brought me to tears. It's such a beautiful song.**

https/m./watch?v=HoRkntoHkIE Home by Phillip Phillips.

 **Another note actually - I'm aware that this isn't probably how adoptions go, but my thoughts were being so nostalgic and quick, that this is what I pictured in mind.**

 **I'd like to hear your opinion on how this whole story has been — please review!**

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 _Adoption Day_

"The parents wishing to adopt these children, Aaron and Haley Hotchner, please stand." Hotch and Haley stood up to face the judge, with tears brimming in not only Haley's eyes, but Hotch's as well. It was finally time.

The two looked back to see the smiling faces of all their foster children that were about to be adopted. Emily was crying with a smile on her face, JJ kept jumping up and down, Derek was nervous, but with a prideful smile on his face that he refused to hide, and Spencer was shy and quiet, but he was ecstatic.

It was at this moment, that Hotch had realized he had come along way to reach fatherhood. His mind flashed back to when his wife didn't even tell him about bringing in Emily into their home. He was concerned then, but now he laughs, because it was the best thing that she had ever done. He knew for a fact that he had gotten more bolder over the past year.

He first was terrified on how to handle Emily Prentiss' situation, his very first foster daughter. Traumatized by the death of her parents in a drunken car accident, she had learned to trust no one. Through time, she was able to connect with people again, seeing him and Haley as parental figures. Eventually, she'd carry on a big sisterly role, a role that she had not wanted before, but now cherished. He remembered that poem she wrote on Christmas, that almost had made him cry, which confirmed the feelings She felt toward him and Haley.

She had met friends, gotten into drugs, but had come clean ever since she admitted her wrong doings and got help. He remembered yelling at her, because of how worried he was for her, that she needed a wake up call because if she didn't stop, she'd end up hurting herself. Hotch had never felt so much worry towards someone in his life, he was willing to help a child that wasn't biologically his, but that's not all.

JJ was terrified of men. That's why Hotch was very reluctant to be near her, out of fear that he'd trigger some painful memories due to her father's wrath. Her mother would screech, and her sister tried taking care of her. Rosaline was parental toward JJ, but then she killed herself. JJ used to be afraid of everything that _moved._ The little girl that loved to draw. She drew a picture of the entire family, and that same picture is still on their refrigerator.

And the day that JJ's nightmare happened, the big one that revealed that she was raped...It broke his heart. He did everything in his power, called a bunch of lawyers to make sure JJ's father would suffer for what he did. Hotch made sure to give JJ a good father figure in her life, which was himself. And he didn't regret it for one minute.

Little Spencer Reid, his youngest. His little genius. Autism didn't stop this kid from doing amazing things. He's improved _so_ much, academically and socially. By far, he had the most fascinating mind that Hotch had ever seen. He remembered when Spencer willingly hugged him, since Hotch knew that he had sensory issues. Spencer, who was deathly afraid of touch, was now hugging people. His meltdowns were less frequent, and even if they did happen, Hotch would always help. Everyone would pitch in to help.

His biological mother has paranoid schizophrenia, and explaining to Spencer of this, although hard, helped him. He fully understood the situation, and Hotch couldn't be more proud. As for his father, there will be time when Hotch will explain why William Reid didn't take him in. He did remember a short conversation about his father, but Hotch couldn't help but smile when the kid said that since he left his mom, that he didn't want to be his friend anymore.

Derek Morgan. Ten years old, and he's really learning how to be a man, but he's begun to realize that he's not a man quite yet, and that he still was a kid. The kid was tough as nails, but had matured very quickly. He learned that it was okay to ask for help. He was more calm and reserved than people have him credit for, and even though he was the latest to arrive, he offered to help any way he could. He was especially kind to all of his siblings, even though he got into arguments now and then. He's especially good to Spencer, remembering that pep talk he gave him. He loved being a big brother, and took every moment he could to help the boy.

As for his biological mother, Derek made it very clear that she didn't want her to be involved in his life anymore. She had been very clear that it was never about him, but about the money that she wanted from his family. Correction—his new family.

As for telling him and Haley about sexual abuse, Hotch learned that Derek Morgan was one of the bravest kids he'd ever met. Derek was encouraged to tell him, and he did. Hotch didn't have to go to a moment where something drastic had to happen in order for Derek's secret to be exposed. Now he was opening up in therapy. Things are looking up for him.

He was one of the strongest kids he'd ever met. Hell, all of them were the strongest and bravest kids he'd ever met. Hotch doesn't know how he would've survived if he was in any of their shoes. Yep, now he let the tears slide down his face, he was just so happy. Almost a year ago that he and Haley received the news that they couldn't have children.

They were wrong.

They had four.

The damn paperwork they had to go through to get this done, it took _months._ It took a bunch of meetings from child services. They had to take extra classes for caring for children, even if they went through it already in the foster system. But this wasn't the foster system, this was _adoption._

"Will the children being adopted stand up? Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau, and Spencer Reid," the judge called. All four of them stood up gracefully, excitedly, and a bunch of other happy emotions happening at once, that they couldn't even describe.

Hotch looked again at his kids, revealing his tear stricken face with a small grin. These faces that he'd never thought he'd meet, the smiling faces that he grew to love and cherish. Their little family had been through so much, and seeing their faces smile back at him, it made it all worth it. It wasn't even an exaggeration, every little thing that they went through, it was worth it.

There were tears, hugs, joy, and drama. There were so many obstacles they had to face, but they did it together as their own family. No one was walking alone. If you had your own demons to face, no one said anything about doing it alone. And in the Hotchner household, that was a rule that was followed religiously.

The most important role each of them learned, was that it's not about where you come from, it's where you're going that counts. Hotch didn't worry about their futures in this moment, he just watched as they could barely contain their excitement and impatience. The damn lady needed to say it!

"Congratulations," the judge said, "All of you are officially adopted children of Haley and Aaron Hotchner." The weight was lifted now, and JJ jumped up and down and ran into Hotch's arms as he picked her up. Spencer ran over to Haley to be picked up. Emily was visibly crying out of joy, hugging Derek for support. She wouldn't see the own happy tears coming down Derek's cheeks. Haley had been crying the whole time, laughing as Spencer hugged her with all of his might. Haley's eyes met her husband's, each of them were holding a child. They embraced in a long kiss,

"I love you, Aaron."

"I love you, too."

As Haley was holding Spencer, she took a good look at all of her children. _Her children_. She was waiting for some miracle to happen a year ago. That she would be able to have children. She got her wish, in the most satisfying way possible, in the most _beautiful_ way possible. She thought about her old doctor. That doctor who told her she couldn't have children.

Well, like Haley said before; she always knew that doctors were full of shit.

 _Months later..._

A plump blonde, looking no older than nine, was _starving._ It was cold; and her small jacket just wasn't enough to cover up her body from it. Sitting in a new spot, drenched in the snow, she rubbed her hands together, trying to keep warm. She had no gloves, though she tried stealing some from the Witherby household, but they had quickly caught her, threatening to call the police. It was sad, because when she was neighbors with them, they always welcomed her; Penelope Garcia.

A large growl erupted from her stomach; she didn't remember the last time she ate, though her figure would say otherwise. She'd have to beg for food again, it was nothing new. When her parents kicked her out six months ago, due to 'budget cuts', she'd been living on the streets ever since. It wasn't the lifestyle that she wanted, but it was one she had to accept. That child services crap wasn't going to help her, in fact, it made things worse.

"Spencer!" Penelope turned around to hear the direction of where that sudden shout had come from, and a boy just dashed outside, but he did not see her, thankfully.

The boy looked to be about five. He was wearing a nice warm scarf, no doubt that his snobby rich parents probably bought for him. Penelope was already thinking up a plan, although not a well-intentioned one that would only benefit herself.

"Spencer, get back here! You can't leave without me! Mom said I have to go with you since it's getting dark," said the same boy's voice.

"But we're just making snow angels, Derek!" The little boy whined back.

"Wait for me, kid!" The older kid cried out. Penelope narrowed her eyes, _now or never_. Despite her weight, she bolted at the speed of light, and snatched that kid's scarf off his neck in the process. A tactic that she had learned, unfortunately.

"Hey! That's my–huh?!" Spencer turned around, but the mystery person had already disappeared. It was a little dark to see, making matters worse. It was at this moment Derek had arrived, "Kid, you should wear a scarf. It's pretty cold out."

"I can't...someone took it," said Spencer, a bit sadly. Derek's eyes went wide at what he said,

"What do you mean _took it?_ Spencer, did you catch his face?" Spencer shook his head no, tears blurring his vision, "I didn't...I'm so sorry." The now eleven year old lifted Spencer in his arms as the latter began to cry.

"It's okay, Spencer. We'll find out. Let's go tell mom and dad inside." Derek rubbed circles on his back as went back inside with the small child crying in his arms.

When Penelope was sure that she had outrun them and was out of their distance, she wrapped the newly acquired scarf across her red neck, enjoying the warm feeling. A cold breeze just hit her again, making her knees shake. She took a long look back to where she ran from. The guilt was eating at her, she didn't want to steal from the little boy, but the timing was perfect. Too perfect. It was a survival for her. She scoffed thinking about it after a while. She realized; why should she feel guilty?

It's not like she was going to see them again.

 _To be continued...?_

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Whew! I can't believe it's over!

There will be a sequel coming up soon! Thank you to all of you that have read TTC and got through the whole journey. Thank you to all of my reviewers, favorites, and followers! I wanna say thank you to my idol, Dextalon, who always have me the courage to keep writing! Also, I want to thank another idol of mine, Ficdirectory, who also encouraged me to keep writing!

Sequel: **These Children Are Loved** Coming Soon!


	36. SEQUEL IS UP!

**Hi guys, it's Sam here! I hope your day is going great so far!**

 **I'm just letting you know that the sequel to The Troubled Children is up! The title is called These Children Are Loved. I really hope you enjoy the story, and this will be the LAST update of THIS story. Thank you for reading _The Troubled Children_ , and I hope you enjoy the sequel!** :)

 **~Sammie050301**


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